Author: Stacie Morrell
Publisher: Create Space
Rating: WORTHY!
Illustrated by Elizabeth Berg
DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a "galley" copy ebook, supplied by Net Galley. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review.
This is a very short, simple, and colorfully illustrated story for very young children about the hassle a little girl has with a bug which seems to be obsessed with flying by her eye. Told poetically if not always in poetry, it shows her make her way through her day, walking, talking, balking, squawking until an accidental solution solves her problem whilst simultaneously proving that reading from a book is only most commonly the best use for it!
There seems to be a strong bias towards redheads in this story (even the cat is a redhead!), but other than Ms. Morrell not being entirely sure how to spell swatted, it's well written and will charm children immensely (now watch her come back and nail me on something I screwed up in this review!). I liked this book - or at least my inner youngster did! I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it charmed me. Maybe I'm just a softie. I especially liked the Band-Aid® on the main character's's knee, a detail of the kind which is often forgotten by illustrators in these stories, but not by Ms. Berg.
If I had a real "complaint", it's that I would have liked to have known the main character's's name. I know that some might argue that it's better not to name her so that she has a more universal appeal, but making her white and a redhead rather puts a cap on that anyway! Besides, I don't think children in the age range for which this story is intended care about skin color or hair color, bless them, so I'm just going to know her as fly girl....
Entertainingly written, and colorfully illustrated, I see no reason why any child wouldn't love to be read to from this book (especially if you tickle them whenever the bug comes back), and then wouldn't love to page through it by themselves engaged in the colorful and charmingly drawn imagery. And you might want to take a look at the author's and illustrator's websites (URLs above) too. They're just as charming as the character in this book. Maybe not quite as much, but close!
