Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.
When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review, courtesy of Books, Reviews, Etc:
I Wonder: A Book for Children, Parents and other Grownups
by Jane Altman
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 9781478765820
Synopsis*:
This book is a treasure! It is unusual in its endearing and educational verses and illustrations for children and in its engaging and varied pieces for parents – and other grownups. The rhymes are appealing, the illustrations are wonderful and the writings range from heartfelt to very funny. All in all a must read.
Critique:
The author has written this book as if it were a poem. It will probably be recognized since it is similar to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Children will get into the swing of the book in no time. The beginning of each verse is a question about the different animals, such as, “How I wonder little bat, being blind in the dark, how you fly like that.” This allows the children to stop and think about it. The adults can talk about the bat and how it lives with the child. It’s a learning experience. With each verse there is a colorful illustration of the animal. There is a nice little page that has a frame where your child can put his or her own picture. Very cute. Then there is a magical fantasy story “The Glow-Stones” which allows children to see the magic where adults have a hard time slipping into that fantasy of magic.
In Part Two, there is poetry for the adults.Some are pieces about the future and how the child will feel when certain events happen.Some of the poems are on everyday things such as flowers. Then there is a funny piece which will make you chuckle and think. A wonderful book that is great to bring parent and child together for a reflection of the past and a look into the future. A book that every grown up and child should have on their book shelf to read and re-read.
I received this complimentary copy from the author, Jane Altman in exchange for my unbiased review. No other compensation took place.
I would give this book 4 STARS.
[ reviewed by Gayle Pace of Books, Reviews, Etc ]
Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:
In “I Wonder,” Jane Altman has created a poem that children will feel is familiar from the start. It has a similar structure to that of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” that will help young readers easily catch on to the rhythm of the text. Each verse opens up the possibility for discussion about the various animals that are mentioned, elephants, mice, bats, etc. And the illustration for the final verse also allows the child to paste a photo of him/herself into the book and making it very personal. There is also a fantasy story titled “The Glow-Stones,” which portrays the ability of children to perceive the magical when adults only see the commonplace.
Within the second part of the book, Altman has a collection of poetry that is tailored for the adults in the family. Some are nostalgic in tone – pieces wondering over how children will grow up, how one would feel on the very last day of the one-hundredth year of life, or why youth fades away. Others reflect on more everyday occurrences such as admiring flowers or pondering why grass can be so much work to maintain. And then there is the comedic piece about an undergarment that t’aint fittin’ any longer. The whole book feels like a peek into someone’s journal and catching their changing moods from day to day.
This is a book meant to be read together and enjoyed together.
Four out of five stars.
The first section of part one contains a series of four line rhymes that generally have the same rhythm, one that reminded me of the song “Twinkle twinkle little star.” The structure is an image referencing the rhyme on the left side with the text on the right. There are fourteen such items, all but the last referring to animals. The last one is designed to reference the young reader.
The next section of part one is a short story about a small village near the ruins of a very old castle. No one ever goes into it and no one seems to care about it. When a young man decides to leave the village and go out in the world, a stone in the castle glows at him, so he stops to grab it and then takes it with him. Something similar happens when a young woman also starts her journey out of the village.
The two people then marry other people and have children, the story continues after their deaths when their children are going through their belongings and find what appear to be nondescript stones. They all return to the ancestral village and the children then see things in the castle that their parents cannot.
Part two is given the designation that it is for the parents and grownups and is a set of short segments of more complex verse. There are rhymes having various orders where the matches occur. For example, the section of verse called “What to Do?” has three line segments where the first two lines rhyme as well as the third lines of sequential sections. They are designed to be read to children, they will sound pretty good if the proper intonation is applied.
This is a good book for children, one that children will enjoy having read to them, for they have a natural affinity for rhyming verse.
Thanks for reading! Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!
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