We were recently sent some beautiful books published by Book Island, to review and I thought I would cover them all in one post.
First up is Maia and What Matters by Tine Mortier with stunning illustrations by Kaatje VermeireEssentially the story deals with old age and death verses the vivacious energy that its young heroine has. Maia is very close to her Grandma and they are best friends and do lots of things together like playing and eating cake. However, one day Grandma suffers a stroke and has ot rest and cannot play with Maia and she also loses her ability to speak and when she does wake up and talk her words are slurred and slow and no one is able to really understand her. Apart from Maia as the bond between Grandma and her grand-daughter is still as strong as it ever was. However, sadly there is more bad news to come as Maia’s Grandpa passes away and then Maia needs to watch those she loves mourn for his loss, and help her Grandma say one last goodbye to him.
Although the book does sound a little morbid, it is not. The words are written with humour and an understanding that children can relate too, and the stunning illustrations show the imagination a child has, enabling us to really get inside Maia’s mind and see what she is thinking. This story is a little old for my two, but it is one I am sure we can enjoy reading together when they are a little older.
The Adventures of Bernie and Flora by Annemie Berebrouckx is a fun book about two best friends, Bernie the bear and Flora the duck who both share a love of flowers which bear grows in his beautiful garden.However, one day when Flora calls round to visit her best friend, Bernie bear, he is not there and neither are all of his beautiful and prized flowers. Where is Bernie and his flowers? Who would take them? Flora must embark on a search for them to discover the answers, and meets lots of friends along the way. When she eventually finds him, she gets the most wonderful surprise and proposal!
Bernie and Flora is a delightful tale of friendship and love (even true love) and is accompanied by some colourful illustrations which are vivid and fun, and almost retro in style. The boys enjoyed pointing out the different animals we meet on the different pages. I also liked the fact that at the back of the book, there is a list of flowers which the author has given special meanings to which allow us to see how much Bernie loves his Flora duck, as each flower tells her how he really feels, which is very sweet!
Sir Mouse to the Rescue by Dirk Nieland and illustrated by Marjolein Pottie is all about the adventures of a little mouse who is a knight and a girl!! Mouse also knows a dragon, also a girl, and they never fight one another because they are best friends. The book consists of several short stories all about the adventures bold Sir Mouse embarks on which involve rescuing a princess, meeting cats and his friendship with dragon. It is a fun book full of humour and exciting tales, and I really like the fact that both of the main characters are female!
All books are available to buy now. For more information please visit Book Island.
Disclaimer: I was sent copies of these books for the purpose of a review. All words and comments made about them are honest and my own.