Katy on Broadway

 

Katy on Broadway is a young children’s book written and illustrated by Ella English. I really enjoyed looking at the pictures, which add colour to the book. This story is ideal for parent and child bonding time, as the illustrations can be used in the form of question and answer, so that the child is encouraged to describe what they are seeing. The story is also ideal for the older child who is just beginning to read as they can read it by themselves.

 

The aim behind this story is that one must not give up. They must always do whatever they feel that is good for them. Katy was targeted by Gerry the squirrel and by the two birds who told her that she could not sing. Despite their claim and that of her owner, Lilian, who told her that she was making a  noise which was giving her a headache, Katy did not give up. This shows that one must be resilient in the face of adversity, and not to be afraid to wade against other people’s opinions.

 

In fact, Katy did just so. She escaped from her home, and even though she was afraid of the noise, traffic and all those people, she still did not give up. She meets Weasel who encourages her to follow her dreams. The story ends with Katy singing on Broadway. At last, her dream of singing to the public was fulfilled!

 

This is a captivating story which, through Katy the cat, seeks to encourage and instil in young children the realization that it is fine to believe in yourself, to walk alone and to never give up. All these positive messages are uplifting and once all the book is read, one feels satisfied that Katy has reached her aim. Each individual should seek to carve out a life for himself, regardless of other people’s opinions.

Dayana, Dax and the Dancing Dragon

 

 

Fantasy is rife in this book published by the Once Upon a Dance company. Its illustrations are fantastic, and eye-catching to both children and adults alike.

This story revolves around Dayana, her baby brother Dax and a dancing Dragon, Kadeena. Together, Dayana and Kadeena explore the different dance movements. These dance movements are emphasized in the same page by Ballerina Konora, who through words and photos of the different poses, shows step by step how these dance moves are done.

I found this book very interesting. It was the first time that I read something like this. Besides the beautiful illustrations where the children and Kadeena seem to pop out of the pages, the book teaches the readers, various ballet moves. The story aims to inspire the young dancers to imagine, fantasise and create. In fact in the opening pages, ballerina Konora tells the reader that there is no need to be a dragon like Kadeena to be able to do the dance moves.

Besides the dance moves pictured in every page, this book teaches us something else. This is that we should not judge on appearance. Dayana judged her baby brother as being useless. Likewise, she thought that Kadeena  was not good at dancing. This was a wrong judgement as in fact Kadeena had been to many places and knew a lot of different dances.

I found this book very inspiring as it aims to  instill in our children the values of treating others with respect and not judging others. The book also encourages children to take up dancing as a form of fitness activity.

'The Maker-Man of Merryville' by Pete Mesling

 

The Maker-Man of Merryville is written by Pete Mesling. This is a very absorbing book which I enjoyed reading. It has a very good intriguing plot which leaves you very curious as to how the events are going to unfold. It is like a jigsaw puzzle which at the end,  fits together.  Through the twists and turns of the story, the characters experience a lot of adventures, with some of them being very heart-stopping!

The setting of the book starts in Merryville, then it moves on to Skaate Dowe and lastly on to Dablos, which is the land of the moon. The main protagonists are Gilbert and his classmate Sarah. They are twelve years old and are not happy with the current sad situation in their town, where the people over there do not not smile or laugh. The arrival of the Maker-Man in their town, proves to be something of a highlight for these children who are being brought up in this dreary town.

 When the Maker-Man sells Gilbert some Away Putty and Sarah a monkey soft toy, the children are set on a marvellous exciting course. At the beginning of the story, they are class-mates. At the end, they are best friends, with a hint that the friendship might develop in the future into something more intense. Other protagonists include also Lester Morsoe, the children’s teacher, who had also fleetingly entered Skaate Dowe, as a child.  There are others, with the main one being the Maker-Man of Merryville, Belch the water-monkey who comes alive, and also Snarl the demi-ghoul. These characters have to battle against  Queen Mixie, Skinner and the pirate, Skrimshaw, who are on the bad side.

This books is a very good read for readers of all ages. Besides having a fascinating plot, the book teaches readers about good values, like being kind and that by working in teams, one has more chances of succeeding.  It teaches us that in life you have to be courageous and to take risks also. The future is in our hands to mould it as we like.