KID'S REVIEWS
By Lyda Whiting
LITTLE YELLOW PEAR TOMATOES
Written by Demian Elaine Yumei Illustrated by Nicole Tamarin
In this charming book, a young girl sits in her garden eating little yellow pear
tomatoes, and thinks about the intercon-nectedness of all things. She discovers
everyone and everything within the tomatoes, including her parents who plant and
tend them just for her. The earthworms who dig tunnels and help the roots
breathe are part of the tomatoes too, and the ladybugs who eat other insects and
thus protect the tomatoes from them.
The cycle of water brings the clouds and rivers and sky into the tomatoes. The sun’s energy is poured into the tomatoes. The planet and the stars, and even the girl herself, are all in the tomatoes. All these non-tomato things are a part of the tomatoes, and it takes all of them for the tomatoes to exist.
The watercolor paintings are beautifully imaginative and exquisitely realistic.
They complement the simple prose perfectly.
The author deftly weaves the Zen teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh into this story,
which was inspired by her own daughter’s love of yellow pear tomatoes. The
illustrator drew inspiration from her memories of exploring her mother’s garden
as a child.
This is a wonderful book to share at bedtime, and will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. It would be a lovely addition to any home or school library. This treasure of a book is highly recommended for all ages.
Published by Illumination Arts Publishing Company, Inc., this book is available
at your local bookstore or
www.illumin.com
ERNEST AND ELSTON
Written by Laura T. Barnes
Illustrated by Carol A. Camburn
Elston the rooster proudly crows the other animals awake with each sunrise. But
one of the donkeys complains about the noise, and a horse grumpily announces
that she would like to sleep late in the mornings. Elston wants the other
animals to like him, and so he decides not to crow any more.
When his friend Ernest tells the rooster that crowing is what roosters do, Elston tries to be a donkey like Ernest instead. But when the rooster holds his breath to keep himself from crowing the next morning, the animals sleep the day away. Elston learns that he is an important part of the farm, and that the others need him to be himself so they can get up and enjoy each day.
Children will enjoy the funny and touching story, while learning with Elston how
important it is to be yourself. The beautiful watercolor illustrations will
delight them, and they will have fun finding the tiny dragonfly on each page.
There is even a picture on the book flap of the real miniature donkey and
rooster who inspired the story, the fifth in an award-winning series about
Ernest and his farm friends.
The author lives on a farm, whose adopted animals are an inspiration for her
stories. This Mom’s Choice Award winner is recommended for children ages 4-8.
Published by Barnesyard Books, Inc., this book is available at your local
bookstore or
www.barnesyardbooks.com
PEEPER THE KINKAJOU
Written by Peter Parente
Illustrated by Michael Graham
This book introduces children to Peeper the kinkajou, an animal from Latin
America related to the raccoon. The playful Peeper wakes up as the sun sets. He
climbs through the rainforest canopy searching for something to do, but Peeper
is bored with hanging by his prehensile tail and soon has eaten his fill of
insects, fruit and honey. He is ready for an adventure. But each animal he meets
is too busy to play.
Kirby the anteater is clawing through ant mounds for food. Maggie the sloth is
so slow that blue-green algae has grown on her back. The energetic marmosets are
bouncing through the trees too fast. Peeper knows that the dangerous jaguar has
something other than playing in mind. The wise anaconda is contemplating the
fate of the diminishing rainforest.
As each animal appears, children learn a little about their unique characteristics and place in the forest. Kids will be fascinated to learn that the algae growing on the sloth helps camouflage her and hid her from predators.
A rescued kinkajou named Peeper, inspired the author to create this book to educate children about these unusual animals and to instill an appreciation for nature. The first in a series, this book introduces the animal characters with rhyming sentences and a fast-paced story that will keep a young child’s interest. The illustrations are colorful and sure to appeal to young children.
Published by Tree of Life Publishing, this book is available at your local
bookstore or
www.treeoflifepublishing.com
BOOMER TO THE RESCUE
Written by Peter Parente
Illustrated by Aleksey
and Olga Ivanov
Boomer and Roger are excited about their first day of school. But Boomer is also
nervous because he is different. Boomer is a rare lavender skunk, and he is not
sure how the other animals at school will treat him. His mother reassures him
that being different makes him special, but on the first day of school, Frankie
the squirrel teases Boomer about his smell.
Boomer’s best friend Roger reassures him that the other animals will like him once they get to know him, but Boomer is now sure that he is not special after all. When the young animals are terrorized by a grizzly bear, Boomer comes to the rescue and uses his very different smell to drive the bear away. Frankie apologizes, and Boomer discovers sometimes being different is a good thing.
Children will learn the importance of celebrating our uniqueness, and the colorful and humorous illustrations bring the story to life. This fun book was inspired by the author’s striped skunk, whose natural coloring is lavender, a rare thing for this usually black or brown species.
Young children will be able to identify with the characters as they learn that it is what is inside that counts. Kids will also enjoy visiting the author’s website, which has pictures of the real Boomer and his friends. For ages 2 through 8.
Published by Tree of Life Publishing, this book is available at your local bookstore or www.treeoflifepublishing.com
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