book review – Your Storybird Updater

Buddy

by BlondieBallet

Format: Picture Book

Age range: –

Published: March 20, 2014

Artist: Inkymum

Buddy is a heartwarming story about a deaf girl who longs for a dog. It gives a very warm message about sacrificing things you love for someone else, and how little good deeds can make someone’s world colourful. The narrator, Melanie, whose father teaches at a school for the deaf, takes her dog, Buddy, with her as she waits for her father. She meets another girl, Jackie, who has hearing problems but communicates using sign language. Jackie likes her dog because it reminds her of one of her therapy dogs, and as she plays with Buddy, Melanie sees Jackie’s face light up and offers her to keep the dog.

Buddy is written in a beautiful manner, with matching pictures which complement the story perfectly. It gives loads of positive messages, and is recommended for readers 8+.

Not Perfect, But Still…

by primadonna_girl

Format: Picture Book

Age range: Tween (8-12)

Published: May 31st, 2014

Artist: Various

Not Perfect, But Still… is a beautiful story about loving who you are. It gives a wonderful message: beauty lies inside who you are, not what you look like. The story is in first-person, and is narrated by a friend of the protagonist, Fiona. Fiona feels that she is not as beautiful as other girls, while the narrator assures her that the others are jealous of who she really is, and care about nothing but looking “good”. The story ends with Fiona being convinced and walking away with a smile.

I enjoyed this book, because it gives a very strong, inspiring message which should be taught to more females in our society. It could have been made better by using more relevant artwork, but then, it’s quite hard to find artwork which matches perfectly when you’re writing a picture book