MAGICAL STORIES by SOFIA O'HARA.
BACK COVER BLURB: About the book ..
A child can deal with beliefs and emotions which have such a tremendous impact on his self-confidence and self-worth.
Whatever self-belief a child has, this will either aid or hinder his happiness and success. Stories are a truly amazing way of helping children to recognize and shift negative self-perception
The book is a Collection of three Magical Stories designed to provide impacting inspiration in a way that children can easily understand.
STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION: The Frog That Could Not Jump
Oscar is a small frog who did not believe in himself. It was only through a scary event that he discovered something amazing.
Someone Like Me
Lou is a little boy who struggles to fit in. He makes a magical wish. However, his wish is granted in an unexpected way.
Popular
Jenna is a girl who wishes to be popular. She admires the pretty girls in her school who seem to have it all. A poster shows Jenna how to have it all.
SOURCE: Received for review from the author.
MY THOUGHTS: Hmm! I have such mixed thoughts on this collection of short stories which is why I've asked for the help of Little Plum, almost six, with whom I read it.
Beautiful cover and interesting illustrations - full page and in glorious colour - it was however somewhat disappointing that there were only three of them, one at the beginning of each story.
Very different stories but all with a common theme - that of being different, of discovering yourself - at their heart. Whilst each of the stories was enjoyable enough taken on its own, taken as a collection I struggled with the fact that to me they didn't sit comfortably together. That each of the stories (down to the illustrations) seemed suited to quite different age ranges - the first to little ones, the second, to slightly older children, through to the third and what I felt would be much older (and possibly female more than male) children.
A collection I could see working well in a school setting. The first story perhaps re-enacted with the use of puppets. The last as a great starting point for a discussion.
But what of Plum, what were his thoughts?
Weeelll .....
Also a big fan of the cover though like myself (but even more so) he was disappointed with the lack of illustrations.
Like many children he responds well to animal stories and as such loved Oscar (The Frog That Could Not Jump), even managing to grasp the moral of the story in his own not quite six year old way.
As a boy himself he identified with Lou (Someone Like Me) .... to a certain degree ... loving his shadow which reminded him of Peter Pan's shadow.
As for Jenna (Popular). Evidently too complex a story for him too grasp. Unable to relate to the character in any way, I'm afraid he showed no interest and, unlike the first two stories, has not requested a re-telling.
BACK COVER BLURB: About the book ..
A child can deal with beliefs and emotions which have such a tremendous impact on his self-confidence and self-worth.
Whatever self-belief a child has, this will either aid or hinder his happiness and success. Stories are a truly amazing way of helping children to recognize and shift negative self-perception
The book is a Collection of three Magical Stories designed to provide impacting inspiration in a way that children can easily understand.
STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION: The Frog That Could Not Jump
Oscar is a small frog who did not believe in himself. It was only through a scary event that he discovered something amazing.
Someone Like Me
Lou is a little boy who struggles to fit in. He makes a magical wish. However, his wish is granted in an unexpected way.
Popular
Jenna is a girl who wishes to be popular. She admires the pretty girls in her school who seem to have it all. A poster shows Jenna how to have it all.
SOURCE: Received for review from the author.
MY THOUGHTS: Hmm! I have such mixed thoughts on this collection of short stories which is why I've asked for the help of Little Plum, almost six, with whom I read it.
Beautiful cover and interesting illustrations - full page and in glorious colour - it was however somewhat disappointing that there were only three of them, one at the beginning of each story.
Very different stories but all with a common theme - that of being different, of discovering yourself - at their heart. Whilst each of the stories was enjoyable enough taken on its own, taken as a collection I struggled with the fact that to me they didn't sit comfortably together. That each of the stories (down to the illustrations) seemed suited to quite different age ranges - the first to little ones, the second, to slightly older children, through to the third and what I felt would be much older (and possibly female more than male) children.
A collection I could see working well in a school setting. The first story perhaps re-enacted with the use of puppets. The last as a great starting point for a discussion.
But what of Plum, what were his thoughts?
Weeelll .....
Also a big fan of the cover though like myself (but even more so) he was disappointed with the lack of illustrations.
Like many children he responds well to animal stories and as such loved Oscar (The Frog That Could Not Jump), even managing to grasp the moral of the story in his own not quite six year old way.
As a boy himself he identified with Lou (Someone Like Me) .... to a certain degree ... loving his shadow which reminded him of Peter Pan's shadow.
As for Jenna (Popular). Evidently too complex a story for him too grasp. Unable to relate to the character in any way, I'm afraid he showed no interest and, unlike the first two stories, has not requested a re-telling.
