Il Primo Libro

Hurrah! My first book has just been published and is ready for you and your children's enjoyment. You may find it here:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/dominics-gift/15326309?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1
I would love to hear your thoughts about the plot and/or how you think it reads for your children. Hopes of continuing to write so your critiques are most necessary. Cheers!

"The Princess and the Kiss: A Review of a Modern Morality Fairy Tale"

Among the myriad of texts now available to children it is hard to know which books are particularly noteworthy for their content over those that simply help children develop their reading abilities. There are plethoras of stories that work on the latter, but so few there are that work to build a child’s inner abilities, or moral character. Due to the singularity of such books, parents and educators may not necessarily know where to acquire these rare finds; however, this review seeks to eliminate this dilemma by introducing one work that fills this need. One book in particular stands like a rose among thistles as it heralds the reality that purity is indeed a noble, beautiful and viable virtue that brings true love and happiness to those who possess her. This particular book is called “The Princess and the Kiss: A Story of God’s Gift of Purity” by Jennie Bishop. After reading this book, one discovers that youthful chastity and the ideals of Christian love are indeed quite attractive and need not be seen as archaic or repellent as the modern world intimates. Following the familiar message that “true love waits,” Bishop, employing the powerful genre of fairy tale, enkindles in the heart of her readers a desire for the perfect love, while also exhorting them to remember that with prudence and patience, all true love come to those who wait.
The story opens with the birth of a king and queen’s daughter known simply as “the princess.” On this day, the royal couple give their little princess a precious gift, her first kiss. Over the years, the couple guards her gift until she reaches a suitable age to marry. Upon reaching that age, the princess receives the kiss from her parents with the caveat that she give it only to the man whom she thinks will treasure her and her beloved gift forever. After numerous suitors come and go, the princess becomes discouraged in her hope to find the right man to marry. Will God bring her a worthy spouse or will she have to accept being single? This conflict torments her, but she succeeds in waiting for her true love to arrive whom she eventually marries, and both live happily ever after.
This theme of waiting for love plays a pivotal role in the stories development. The princess wants to give away her gift, but to whom? Indeed, she could easily take the hand of any of the men who call upon her. Most of these men are appealing in their own rite, for they either have great wealth or strength or possess romantic inclination. It would not be wrong to assume that many young readers might declare the princess a fool to refuse any one of them. Who would not want their future spouse to have any of those worldly characteristics? However, these qualities are insufficient for true love to exist. As Bishop clearly contends, true love has to encompass more than mere shallow and fleeting attraction. She reminds the reader that superficiality only holds people together so long and shows them that the wise princess is right to wait for the right man. For despite the princess’ loneliness and deep desire to find the right husband, she does that which is best for herself and waits on the Lord to lead her to her other half. Her perseverance in patiently waiting for God to send her the right man benefits her in the end since she attains all that she hopes for, the perfect love with the right man. This main idea of waiting to give ones’ first kiss, which stands as the symbol of one’s heart, teaches young girls to be wise and to protect themselves against those who will not appreciate and love their gift. And what better message than that to instill in young girls today?
While the book does contain these aforementioned attributes, it must not be denied that Bishop does founder in a few areas. When considering the story’s main character, the princess, one could rightly argue that Bishop makes her too particular in choosing a spouse, or at the very least, Bishop does not sufficiently explain why the princess perpetually refuses suitor after suitor. The false stereotype that every man of wealth, strength or romance is a poor candidate for wedded life is emphasized when it should not be. Furthermore, the assumption that only poor agrarian men possess the holy virtues suitable for a future queen is wrongly insinuated. Although Bishop might not have intended that notion, it nevertheless could enter the minds of little children, which parents should be aware of. Depending upon the child, more or less explanation may be required. Nevertheless, in Bishop’s defense, the audience should also remember that this story is meant for a young child and hence these concerns might never enter into the mind of an innocent little girl. Hopefully the image of the beauty and the sweetness of pure love which Bishop stresses will overshadow this minor fault.
Regarding the book’s genre, it is both appropriate and advantageous that Bishop utilizes the fairy tale form for the text. Using it assists her in capturing the attention of the young female audience, whom this book is obviously targeted towards. The medieval styled illustrations and text work together harmoniously, weaving the beauty of the plot together with the beauty of the images. Should Bishop have used a more modern setting for her story or used an alternative genre (such as a fable or folklore), the impact upon the intended audience might have suffered. For that sense of mystery and majesty which a fairy tale enjoys greatly adds to the plots overall effectiveness. Bishop chose wisely when writing in the fairy tale genre, for to use any other form, the success of the story may have been more than deficient.
Thus, after reviewing this book, one can see how this story could easily be used a modern morality story for little children. It creatively emphasizes the beauty of chastity and the greatness of true love which children should be encouraged to wait for until a proper age. As Bishop illustrates, if children are good, wise and trusting in God, then all that they hope for will be given unto them in time. One hopes that through Bishop’s attempt to build character in her readers, the ideals they instill will remain alive in the hearts of its young readers. Indeed, never has there been a more necessary time to raise the standard of love and personal character than in this age which Bishop clearly understands. Therefore, two thumbs up for this morally inspiring fairy tale, so needed in this most un-fairy tale like time.

"Charlotte in London"

AUTHOR: Joan MacPhail Knight
PICTURES BY: Melissa Sweet
PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books DATE: 2008
TOTAL PAGES: 56 CHAPTERS: No
TO BE READ BY CHILD? Yes, ages 7 - 10
ILLUSTRATIONS: Sweet cunningly chooses to use late-Victorian impressionist portraits and landscapes to compliment the text in which the story is set. By incorporating artwork of famous artists from this late 19th century, she encourages children to take a more serious interest in a style of art they may otherwise not find interesting. The images Sweet selects work exceptionally well in paralleling the events described in the travel log, making the book an excellent British cultural text for children.
SUMMARY: Charlotte in London is a story about a fictitious young French girl, Charlotte Glidden, and her travels to London with her mother and father. The reader follows Charlotte’s adventures as she documents them in her journal, which spans approximately five-months. Charlotte takes the reader through her merry voyage across the English Channel to a world unlike any she has ever known. Upon arriving in London, the reader travels back in time experiencing Victorian London through the eyes of this young girl, seeing such famous sites like the Tower of London, Big Ben, Piccadilly Square, Buckingham Palace, as well as attending parties at the well-famed Savoy Hotel. Following her mother and artist father throughout the city and local countryside, Charlotte and the reader learn about the culture of London as well as the significance of art in the lives of people from this period. Charlotte meets friends and famous artists as she roams about the city, helping her mother eventually fulfill her one wish, to have her portrait painted by well-known artist John Singer Sargent.
COMMENTS: This is a wonderful book for children as it combines childhood adventure with British culture, thus allowing a child to learn and grow in their appreciation not only for a different culture, but also for a different culture from a different period of history. Additionally, the way Knight and Sweet work together to intertwine the artwork and text, it leaves the reader believing the portraits are meant specifically for the story, making the book truly enjoyable. From this book, a child gains a deeper insight into the customs of the people from the Victorian period, quite significant in European history. In so doing, the story makes this early British culture most attractive, leaving one nearly wanting to jump into the pages to live among this most delightful and imaginative society. This book is a true gem for children who want to become familiar with Victorian British culture.

"Madeline and the Cats of Rome"

AUTHOR: John Bemelmans Marciano
PICTURES BY: John Bemelmans Marciano
PUBLISHER: Viking DATE: 2008
TOTAL PAGES: 38 CHAPTERS: No
TO BE READ BY CHILD? Yes, ages 5 - 7
ILLUSTRATIONS: In Madeline and the Cats of Rome, illustrator Marciano depicts the city of Rome with the most charming of images as he uses a grand assortment of vibrant and vivid spring colors. The gouache and watercolor representations of the more famous monuments of Rome are quite captivating. Though never using excessive detail, Marciano uses just enough to content the reader and allow them to see exactly where the girls are within the city. Additionally, the way Marciano transitions the story with the girls going from cold, snowy Paris, represented in muted yellow tones, to the ancient city of Rome, so full of warm and animated colors, simply makes the reader want to dive straight into the pages and go exploring with the girls. Going from their first stop near Saint Peter’s Basilica, then onto the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, and the ancient Roman ruins, one cannot help but be engrossed by the wonder and excitement which dwells within this richly artistic city. The Roman life and culture he captures in these pages is truly remarkable and deserving of much recognition.
SUMMARY: The story begins with Miss. Clavel, the head schoolteacher, and the Parisian, orphanage girls traveling from snowy Paris to sunny Rome. Once the girls settle in their hotel, they begin touring the city, seeing many of the glorious monuments and churches Rome has to offer. However, when Miss. Clavel wishes to take a picture of the girls, a little thief comes and steals her camera! Angry Madeline leaves the others behind as she begins her quest to find the guilty culprit. Madeline chases the girl, but upon losing her, notices a cat coming over to her. Her dog, Genevieve, chases the cat into an abandoned house filled with other stray Roman cats. Among them, Madeline discovers the camera thief, Caterina, who goes on to justify herself for stealing, since she claims she is an orphan and needs the camera to feed the cats and herself. Madeline reprimands her for her bad actions and tells her stealing is never right. Later, Madeline and Caterina are arrested for robbing (though Madeline is innocent) and head for to the police station where they find Miss. Clavel and Caterina’s parents there looking for them. In the end, Madeline tells Caterina how wrong she is to lie and steal, but helps her sell the abandoned cats whom she does not want to desert. The two girls reconcile and they both go home to live happily ever after.
COMMENTS: This is a most colorful, entertaining and moralistic cultural children’s story. The approach Marciano takes in incorporating culture into this book while also using it to teach children a lesson on lying and stealing is ingenious. He encourages virtue as he delights his audience as the story unfolds, thus making this moral story both fun and meaningful. Marciano’s tactic of showing the culture of Rome throughout the book without necessarily focusing upon the culture directly is what some may call an immersion approach to culture in children’s literature; it exposes the child to what the city has to offer and what some of its cultural aspects consist of through mere observation. The book also rightly emphasizes both the good and the bad characteristics of the city. Rome does indeed have a serious problem with thievery, but Marciano creatively uses this as a springboard to educate children on the ethics of such bad behavior. Thus, between the portrayal of the Roman culture, the endearing characters, and the morals encouraged, this book can indeed be labeled a high-quality cultural children’s storybook which should not be overlooked.

"Grandfather’s Dream"

AUTHOR: Holly Keller PICTURES BY : Holly Keller
PUBLISHER: Greenwillow Brooks DATE: 1994
TOTAL PAGES: 29 CHAPTERS: None
TO BE READ BY CHILD? Yes, ages 6-8
ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations in this book nicely represent the culture and the atmosphere of this rather primitive Vietnam area. Keller uses simple, earth tone colors when portraying this small village, thus making the reader sense how rural and unpretentious the life of these humble people is. For example, one image shows an aerial view of the town during a monsoon. In this picture, there are many green and brown overtones used to color the rice fields as well as the huts the villagers live in. The colors are generally muted, having darker hues with only occasional pinkish tones interspersed, done perhaps used to shape the mood of the book. The characters themselves have little detail, again showing the simplicity within the Vietnamese culture and manner in which these people exist.
SUMMARY: Grandfather’s Dream is a multicultural book that endorses both wildlife awareness and appreciation for the traditions of the Vietnamese people. The story opens with a little boy named Nam having dinner around the table with his Grandfather, who goes on to tell the boy about the hundreds of cranes that would come to dwell in the village marsh every year before the Vietnam War. However, as he explains, “[t]hen the war came, and when it was over, [the cranes] were gone” (2). With the local dikes filled, the people want to use the land to farm more rice, but Grandfather believes the land should be used as a haven for the local cranes. The plot develops as Grandfather instructs Nam about the importance of the cranes returning to the village since the cranes symbolized good luck. He worries the people are losing their appreciation for their rich, ancestral heritage and seeks to continue it by sharing it with his grandson. The story ends with the dikes flooding once the monsoon season begins and the cranes return once again to the village. Upon their arrival, the locals decide not to farm the area, but rather to preserve it for the “good luck” cranes.
COMMENTS: While this story is generally benign in the way it portrays the people of this remote Vietnamese village, it does come across as a political piece advocating this ecumenical appreciation for every culture, even when certain cultures’ traditions or beliefs do not make sense. This idea of bringing back the cranes because the past villagers thought they carried good luck seems illogical and quite unfounded. Though it is usually fine to appreciate past traditions, Keller wrongly pushes this idea of appreciating fabricated superstitions, which is neither good nor healthy for children. When evaluating children’s books on culture, one cannot accept all cultures as good simply because they are ancient or diverse. Some cultures have traditions and beliefs that are not always worth promoting or preserving, which this book clearly indicates. Truly, children would be profit more from reading a fantasy book than a book that promotes such a bizarre perspective on one’s motivation for wanting cranes preserved.