Author: Barbara Miller
Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing
Rating: WORTHY!
Warmly illustrated by Inga Shalvashvili.
Lily Lemon Blossom has a whole series of books and I've read only this one, so my observations are somewhat blinkered. Keep that in mind! I had some minor mixed feelings about his book, but in view of the 'snapshot' that this represents in the series, I was willing to let them slide because the book has some very endearing and useful qualities.
On the downside - to get it out of the way! - I had a concern or two about Lily's isolation. I know this was a kind of 'private tour' of her room, but her entire life - based solely on this snapshot of it - was one of isolation. There are no friends, siblings, parents or guardians either in evidence or even mentioned, which was a bit disturbing.
Her entire life in this one story centered around her solo activities. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t have friends, of course, or parents/guardians and brothers/sisters, but I would have felt a bit happier if some mention had been made of them. I mean if it had been indicated that she was grounded, or not well, or just wanted quiet time, or we were being treated to a secret special tour or something, and that's why we were confined to her room, that would have solved the problem for me.
There was also some conspicuous consumerism going on here! I'm not sure that this book would appeal to poorer families which have children who do not have so many toys and trinkets available for them to play with. That said, there was a lot on the positive side. Lily makes a tiara from bits and bobs, and she's rightly proud of it. That's a nice indication that you're not confined to the toys at hand: you can craft beautiful things out of odds and ends.
Lily also makes a point of keeping her room clean without being nagged - something from which my own kids could learn an admirable lesson. And she has a cat to hang out with, so she's not bereft of all animate companionship. Overall I liked this story, and Lily, and her ability to be alone and not get into a state, so on balance I think this is a positive story and I would recommend it for young children. It's very bright and colorful, although a little too prevalent with the 'pink is a girl's color' gender issue, but that's a relatively minor consideration given the positive things.
