Genre: Children’s
Picture Book
Description:
“Lola Hopscotch is a bashful bunny who is confronted by mean-spirited
children at school. Lola stands up for herself and overcomes her sadness,
transforming her first day of school into a wondrous day of new friendship and
adventure. This story deals with the issue of childhood bullying and rounds out
with a wonderful communication hook, picturesque prose, and artistic
illustrations by Lily Uivel. Lily captures Lola’s personality and surroundings
perfectly as the little bunny triumphs past bashfulness and spreads kindness.
Feeling bashful about the first day of school, Lola Hopscotch is off
to the playground. This timid bunny’s world is shaken when other children make
fun of her long ears and big feet.
But Lola has much to say and it’s time to play! She meets new friends
and stands up for herself, even teaching the children how to play her favorite
game. Can you guess which game is Lola’s favorite?”
Author:
“Marie Whittaker is an award-winning essayist and cross-genre author
of fantasy, thrillers, and children’s books. She is the creator of The
Adventures of Lola Hopscotch, which is a children’s book series concentrating
on getting sensitive childhood issues out in the open between children and
adults. Many of her award-winning short stories appear in numerous anthologies
and publications. A Colorado native, Marie resides in Manitou Springs with her
two dogs, two cats, and two bunnies, where she writes and enjoys renovating her
historic Victorian home. She spends time hiking, gardening, and indulging in
her guilty pleasure of shopping for handbags. A lover of animals, Marie is an
advocate against animal abuse and assists with lost pets in her community.”
Appraisal:
The first thing I did with this book was put it on my Kindle Fire and
have my barely seven-year-old granddaughter who is on the verge of finishing up
first grade give it a read. When she finished I gave her a short quiz. Did you read
it? Yes. Did you like it? Yes. So far, so good.
A few days later I sat her down with the intent of reading the book to
her and to see what I thought of the story. The first page had some words that
seemed to be stretching the vocabulary of a first grader. A quick quiz
determined that she hadn’t actually read the book to herself, but used the
capability the Fire has to read it to her. I started reading and as I turned
the page she told me that she “really, really likes the pictures in this book.”
That has to be a good sign. Partway through I had her read a page or two. Turns
out she can sound out those more difficult words better than I’d have guessed
and while reading some of these words might be a challenge, that’s reasonable
for a relatively new reader. Younger kids will love you reading them the story
of Lola’s first day at school and slightly older kids will be reading it on
their own.
Of course the most important thing is the story. It’s well-told and has
a good lesson. The aforementioned pictures do a great job of illustrating and
supporting the story. I’d recommend it and the little blonde girl who read it
with me concurs.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 1,000 words
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