Alexis Lampley's Blog, page 6
August 6, 2018
Maddie Moo Kids Book Review: Cece Loves Science
Written by: Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes
Illustrated by: Vashti Harrison
We were sent this copy in exchange for an honest review!
So I was really excited to see this book because I immediately recognized the artist, who I actually follow on one of my Instagram accounts. I was also quite a big fan of science when I was younger (before I realized how much math was involved) and thought this would be a really fun book for Madeline and I to read together.
I think it has great potential and is really well done in explaining the basics of science while still actually reading like a story. I don't think Madeline is quite ready for this one, though. She is only three after all, and some books just seem to go over her head a bit. This is one of those. She seemed to enjoy it when we read it, but she wasn't as engaged as she is with other books. There's a good deal more writing per page than her current favorites, though it's not so much how many words per page that lose her attention and more to do with the story those words are telling. In this case, I think I could essentially summarize some of the pages a bit to get to the essence of the storytelling but keep it engaging for her goldfish-level attention span. At least until she's old enough to appreciate some of the finer details.
But I really do see her enjoying this one quite a lot as she grows!
Illustrated by: Vashti Harrison
We were sent this copy in exchange for an honest review!So I was really excited to see this book because I immediately recognized the artist, who I actually follow on one of my Instagram accounts. I was also quite a big fan of science when I was younger (before I realized how much math was involved) and thought this would be a really fun book for Madeline and I to read together.
I think it has great potential and is really well done in explaining the basics of science while still actually reading like a story. I don't think Madeline is quite ready for this one, though. She is only three after all, and some books just seem to go over her head a bit. This is one of those. She seemed to enjoy it when we read it, but she wasn't as engaged as she is with other books. There's a good deal more writing per page than her current favorites, though it's not so much how many words per page that lose her attention and more to do with the story those words are telling. In this case, I think I could essentially summarize some of the pages a bit to get to the essence of the storytelling but keep it engaging for her goldfish-level attention span. At least until she's old enough to appreciate some of the finer details.
But I really do see her enjoying this one quite a lot as she grows!
August 4, 2018
The Stacks: July 2018
This was a month where I was hustling hard to get everything done before baby came and I nearly made it. I'm really glad that I finished the last book two days before I had her and had yet to pick my next read, because I think I'd have had to start over on anything I read in those two days. That said, I didn't read many books this month, but only one of them wasn't rather massive. And now I'm dying for book three in the Dark Artifices series. Ugh.Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy Cassandra Clare
Review to come
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race Reni Eddo-Lodge
Review to come
Lady Midnight Cassandra ClareReview to come
Lord of Shadows Cassandra Clare
Review to come
July 23, 2018
Maddie Moo Kids Book Review: Red
by: Michael Hall
We were sent this copy in exchange for an honest review!
So, when I picked this book to potentially receive from the publisher, I didn't really pay attention to anything about it other than the fact that it had to do with crayons and Madeline seems to love the other books featuring crayons that we already own. It wasn't until I actually read through it that I realized what the story was about.
And I have to say, I love it. It is such a fun a clever way to discuss how we aren't always what everyone expects us to be or wants us to be, no matter how hard we try. And it works on so many different levels for this as well. It can work for something as straightforward as "I'm an artist but everyone just sees me as an athlete" to a topic as tough as "I'm a boy who identifies as a girl, but everyone keeps telling me I'm a boy."
I love that I will be able to use this book as reference to help navigate potentially hard to explain topics to Madeline in a way she will understand. I can say "Well, you know how that red crayon was really blue inside? Okay, so here's how this situation is similar!"
I also love how the story develops and the eventual payoff. It shows how acceptance affects this very conflicted crayon and how the crayon is able to shine despite its contradictions. It's such a positive and useful story and I'm so glad to have it in our library!
We were sent this copy in exchange for an honest review!So, when I picked this book to potentially receive from the publisher, I didn't really pay attention to anything about it other than the fact that it had to do with crayons and Madeline seems to love the other books featuring crayons that we already own. It wasn't until I actually read through it that I realized what the story was about.
And I have to say, I love it. It is such a fun a clever way to discuss how we aren't always what everyone expects us to be or wants us to be, no matter how hard we try. And it works on so many different levels for this as well. It can work for something as straightforward as "I'm an artist but everyone just sees me as an athlete" to a topic as tough as "I'm a boy who identifies as a girl, but everyone keeps telling me I'm a boy."
I love that I will be able to use this book as reference to help navigate potentially hard to explain topics to Madeline in a way she will understand. I can say "Well, you know how that red crayon was really blue inside? Okay, so here's how this situation is similar!"
I also love how the story develops and the eventual payoff. It shows how acceptance affects this very conflicted crayon and how the crayon is able to shine despite its contradictions. It's such a positive and useful story and I'm so glad to have it in our library!
July 21, 2018
The Secret Garden
by: Frances Hodgson Burnett
The plot centers round Mary Lennox, a young English girl who returns to England from India, having suffered the immense trauma by losing both her parents in a cholera epidemic. However, her memories of her parents are not pleasant, as they were a selfish, neglectful and pleasure-seeking couple. Mary is given to the care of her uncle Archibald Craven, whom she has never met. She travels to his home, Misselthwaite Manor located in the gloomy Yorkshire, a vast change from the sunny and warm climate she was used to. When she arrives, she is a rude, stubborn and given to stormy temper tantrums. However, her nature undergoes a gradual transformation when she learns of the tragedies that have befallen her strict and disciplinarian uncle whom she earlier feared and despised. Once when he's away from home, Mary discovers a charming walled garden which is always kept locked. The mystery deepens when she hears sounds of sobbing from somewhere within her uncle's vast mansion. The kindly servants ignore her queries or pretend they haven't heard, spiking Mary's curiosity. {taken from Goodreads}
This book was actually weirdly hard for me to separate from the movie, which I loved. Only a few pieces of it were made in my imagination, versus the picture I was given from the movie. Either way, though, I still really enjoyed this. I love secret hidden places and despite my grim reaper level black thumb, I also love the idea of elaborate gardens. So this appeals to me on more than one level, and really lets my creativity and imagination... pardon the pun... bloom. I also love seeing the relationship blossom between the kids and how they help each other be better versions of themselves despite their crappy upbringings. This will always be such a great childhood story and I will definitely be reading it (or recommending it) to the kids when they are old enough (aka when they have the attention span for) chapter books. The mood of this book just captures the magic of childhood so well for me. Mauybe because I spent hours playing in the "forest" (the small woods) behind our house growing up, climbing this big ol' tree I considered *my* tree and even once seeing a deer walk right underneath me while I was lounging up there. It just has that vibe about it.
Also, despite 100%writing down quotes I loved from this book, I can't find them anywhere. I remember a single one, so that's all I'll get to put on here. Let's just blame pregnancy brain, shall we? Yes.
When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. {first line}
"There is magic in everything."
• Colin • {last word}
The plot centers round Mary Lennox, a young English girl who returns to England from India, having suffered the immense trauma by losing both her parents in a cholera epidemic. However, her memories of her parents are not pleasant, as they were a selfish, neglectful and pleasure-seeking couple. Mary is given to the care of her uncle Archibald Craven, whom she has never met. She travels to his home, Misselthwaite Manor located in the gloomy Yorkshire, a vast change from the sunny and warm climate she was used to. When she arrives, she is a rude, stubborn and given to stormy temper tantrums. However, her nature undergoes a gradual transformation when she learns of the tragedies that have befallen her strict and disciplinarian uncle whom she earlier feared and despised. Once when he's away from home, Mary discovers a charming walled garden which is always kept locked. The mystery deepens when she hears sounds of sobbing from somewhere within her uncle's vast mansion. The kindly servants ignore her queries or pretend they haven't heard, spiking Mary's curiosity. {taken from Goodreads}This book was actually weirdly hard for me to separate from the movie, which I loved. Only a few pieces of it were made in my imagination, versus the picture I was given from the movie. Either way, though, I still really enjoyed this. I love secret hidden places and despite my grim reaper level black thumb, I also love the idea of elaborate gardens. So this appeals to me on more than one level, and really lets my creativity and imagination... pardon the pun... bloom. I also love seeing the relationship blossom between the kids and how they help each other be better versions of themselves despite their crappy upbringings. This will always be such a great childhood story and I will definitely be reading it (or recommending it) to the kids when they are old enough (aka when they have the attention span for) chapter books. The mood of this book just captures the magic of childhood so well for me. Mauybe because I spent hours playing in the "forest" (the small woods) behind our house growing up, climbing this big ol' tree I considered *my* tree and even once seeing a deer walk right underneath me while I was lounging up there. It just has that vibe about it.
Also, despite 100%writing down quotes I loved from this book, I can't find them anywhere. I remember a single one, so that's all I'll get to put on here. Let's just blame pregnancy brain, shall we? Yes.
When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. {first line}
"There is magic in everything."
• Colin • {last word}
July 18, 2018
The Color of Magic
by: Terry Pratchett
Imagine, if you will... a flat world sitting on the backs of four elephants who hurtle through space balanced on a giant turtle. In truth, the Discworld is not so different from our own. Yet, at the same time, very different... but not so much.
In this, the maiden voyage through Terry Pratchett's divinely and recognizably alternate dimension, the well-meaning but remarkably inept wizard Rincewind encounters something hitherto unknown in the Discworld: a tourist! Twoflower has arrived, Luggage by his side, to take in the sights and, unfortunately, has cast his lot with a most inappropriate tour guide--a decision that could result in Twoflower's becoming now only Discworld's first visitor from elsewhere...but quite possibly, portentously, its very last. And, of course, he's brought Luggage along, which has a mind of its own. And teeth. {cover copy}
This book was... I can only describe it as delightfully weird. I mean... so weird. Quirky weird. Fun weird. On certain levels, when I think back on it, it was like reading a transcript of my three-year-old's imaginative playtime, but with a plot. Things take unexpected turns and go so many different places in such a small book. It also vaguely reminds me of the Hobbit (even occasionally the Sci Fi series written by CS Lewis) and many other fantasy novels, while still being wholly its own thing. There's a quirkiness to the writing/character speaking style that reminds me of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as well. And all of this boils down to just being, as I said, delightfully weird. I plan to get and read the rest of the novels eventually, though I don't have a burning desire to run and get them all right away. I took my time with this book and enjoyed it over several days, despite its short length. I think this will be a series that will entertain whenever I'm feeling the need to read something I'm invested in, but that won't screw with my emotions overmuch. A perfect lounging read. Which for fantasy is actually pretty rare. Most fantasy novels I don't feel that way about. Again, just adds to its quirkiness factor!
In a distant and secondhand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling star-mists waver and part... {first line}
"You don't understand at all," said the wizard wearily. "I'm so scared of you my spine has turned to jelly, it's just that I'm suffering from an overdose of terror right now. I mean, when I've got over that then I'll have time to be decently frightened of you."
"Now I want you to listen very carefully to what I am about to say... otherwise you will die. In an interesting fashion. Over a period."
"(He) often suspected that there was something, somewhere, that was better than magic. He was usually disappointed."
"...radiated dangerous amounts of raw enchantment."
"A spell is still a spell, even when imprisoned temporarily in parchment and ink."
"The true dragon, on the other hand, is a creature of such refinement of spirit that they can only take form in this world if they are conceived by the most skilled imagination. And even then the said imagination must be in some place heavily impregnated with magic, which helps to weaken the walls between the world of the seen and unseen."
• alternative • {last word}
Imagine, if you will... a flat world sitting on the backs of four elephants who hurtle through space balanced on a giant turtle. In truth, the Discworld is not so different from our own. Yet, at the same time, very different... but not so much.In this, the maiden voyage through Terry Pratchett's divinely and recognizably alternate dimension, the well-meaning but remarkably inept wizard Rincewind encounters something hitherto unknown in the Discworld: a tourist! Twoflower has arrived, Luggage by his side, to take in the sights and, unfortunately, has cast his lot with a most inappropriate tour guide--a decision that could result in Twoflower's becoming now only Discworld's first visitor from elsewhere...but quite possibly, portentously, its very last. And, of course, he's brought Luggage along, which has a mind of its own. And teeth. {cover copy}
This book was... I can only describe it as delightfully weird. I mean... so weird. Quirky weird. Fun weird. On certain levels, when I think back on it, it was like reading a transcript of my three-year-old's imaginative playtime, but with a plot. Things take unexpected turns and go so many different places in such a small book. It also vaguely reminds me of the Hobbit (even occasionally the Sci Fi series written by CS Lewis) and many other fantasy novels, while still being wholly its own thing. There's a quirkiness to the writing/character speaking style that reminds me of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as well. And all of this boils down to just being, as I said, delightfully weird. I plan to get and read the rest of the novels eventually, though I don't have a burning desire to run and get them all right away. I took my time with this book and enjoyed it over several days, despite its short length. I think this will be a series that will entertain whenever I'm feeling the need to read something I'm invested in, but that won't screw with my emotions overmuch. A perfect lounging read. Which for fantasy is actually pretty rare. Most fantasy novels I don't feel that way about. Again, just adds to its quirkiness factor!
In a distant and secondhand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling star-mists waver and part... {first line}
"You don't understand at all," said the wizard wearily. "I'm so scared of you my spine has turned to jelly, it's just that I'm suffering from an overdose of terror right now. I mean, when I've got over that then I'll have time to be decently frightened of you."
"Now I want you to listen very carefully to what I am about to say... otherwise you will die. In an interesting fashion. Over a period."
"(He) often suspected that there was something, somewhere, that was better than magic. He was usually disappointed."
"...radiated dangerous amounts of raw enchantment."
"A spell is still a spell, even when imprisoned temporarily in parchment and ink."
"The true dragon, on the other hand, is a creature of such refinement of spirit that they can only take form in this world if they are conceived by the most skilled imagination. And even then the said imagination must be in some place heavily impregnated with magic, which helps to weaken the walls between the world of the seen and unseen."
• alternative • {last word}
July 16, 2018
Maddie Moo Book Review: Press Here
by: Herve Tullet
I saw a recommendation for this book on IG a while back, and immediately knew I needed it. I also got the follow-up book, called Mix It Up, which is about mixing colors, because OF COURSE I would think that book is necessary reading!
Anyway, we have had a little experience with interactive books like this one in the past, and those books always seem to go over well, so I was excited about this one. But Madeline got way more into it than I even hoped she would!
This book (and its follow-up) is seriously so much fun. It incorporates working on your directions as well as your counting and your color recognition, and so much more. But it is done so well and so simply. This is really a great learning tool and so entertaining as well.
This and Mix It Up are constantly requested in our night-time reads lineup. If you can't tell by Madeline's crazy eyes, she (and I) very highly recommends them both!
I saw a recommendation for this book on IG a while back, and immediately knew I needed it. I also got the follow-up book, called Mix It Up, which is about mixing colors, because OF COURSE I would think that book is necessary reading!Anyway, we have had a little experience with interactive books like this one in the past, and those books always seem to go over well, so I was excited about this one. But Madeline got way more into it than I even hoped she would!
This book (and its follow-up) is seriously so much fun. It incorporates working on your directions as well as your counting and your color recognition, and so much more. But it is done so well and so simply. This is really a great learning tool and so entertaining as well.
This and Mix It Up are constantly requested in our night-time reads lineup. If you can't tell by Madeline's crazy eyes, she (and I) very highly recommends them both!
July 11, 2018
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by: Kelly Barnhill
Every year, the people of the Protetorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magis. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna's thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth's surface. And the woman with the Tiger's heart is on the prowl.. {cover copy}
I'm not going to lie, I bought this book because the cover and the title were awesome. It also sounded really interesting, and so the combination meant it was high on my TBR. It wasn't until I actually opened up the book and read what other books the author had written that I realized I had one of those other books and remember really enjoying it. So going into the book was even better, as I was familiar with her work and enjoyed it. (The book I'm referring to is Iron-Hearted Violet, which I read before I started this review blog). Anyway, knowing the caliber of story Kelly Barnhill produces, I was not surprised to find that I loved this one. The overall feeling I got from this was definitely magical. Sometimes a book just brims with magic, and this is definitely one of them. The world building was fantastic, the characters were ones I won't forget, and the plot itself was very well done. I highly recommend this book. It is definitely one of my new favorite Middle Grade reads.
Note: apparently I was too into the book to mark many favorite lines, so there's only one. Oops!
Yes. There is a witch in the woods. {first line}
"Curiosity is the curse of the Clever. Or perhaps cleverness is the curse of the Curious."
• know • {last word}
Every year, the people of the Protetorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magis. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna's thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth's surface. And the woman with the Tiger's heart is on the prowl.. {cover copy}
I'm not going to lie, I bought this book because the cover and the title were awesome. It also sounded really interesting, and so the combination meant it was high on my TBR. It wasn't until I actually opened up the book and read what other books the author had written that I realized I had one of those other books and remember really enjoying it. So going into the book was even better, as I was familiar with her work and enjoyed it. (The book I'm referring to is Iron-Hearted Violet, which I read before I started this review blog). Anyway, knowing the caliber of story Kelly Barnhill produces, I was not surprised to find that I loved this one. The overall feeling I got from this was definitely magical. Sometimes a book just brims with magic, and this is definitely one of them. The world building was fantastic, the characters were ones I won't forget, and the plot itself was very well done. I highly recommend this book. It is definitely one of my new favorite Middle Grade reads.
Note: apparently I was too into the book to mark many favorite lines, so there's only one. Oops!
Yes. There is a witch in the woods. {first line}
"Curiosity is the curse of the Clever. Or perhaps cleverness is the curse of the Curious."
• know • {last word}
July 9, 2018
Maddie Moo Kids Book Review: Rice & Rocks
by: Sandra L. Richards
We were sent this copy in exchange for an honest review!
So, this book is about Red Beans and Rice. Which is my husband's favorite food. It's also a big hit for my daughter, because despite being like 97% my mini-me, one place we differ is that she actually likes beans. (With the exception of green beans, which I like and she does not. Go figure). It's also about the different forms of this dish that are served in different parts of the world, the names of it, and the reasons for eating it in those particular cultures. At the heart of it is the story of a boy who thinks his friends will judge him for his family serving his friends this meal, which he doesn't like that much (he picks out the beans like I do, so I sympathize with him. The taste is fine without the beans. Just sayin').
It's not wholly bound by the laws of reality, as they actually travel to each place on the back of an African Gray (parrot) and talk with other birds in the different cultures about the meal. But I found that that part of the book was actually more engaging for Madeline than the beginning, so I didn't mind it. I think the one trouble spot we ran into with this book is that there's a good portion of text on several of the pages, so little miss goldfish attention span over here wanted me to turn the pages faster than I could read them. I think as she grows, this won't be an issue, though.
It's a cute story. It's probably not going to be one of my personal favorites she has, though I did enjoy it, but I think she will request this one more as she grows because once we finished reading it and she understood that they had been talking about daddy's favorite dinner, she was more excited about it!
On the whole, it's a really good story about how you might worry that your cultural traditions will make you too different in the eyes of your friends, but you'd be surprised how much we have in common, which is a great message.
We were sent this copy in exchange for an honest review!So, this book is about Red Beans and Rice. Which is my husband's favorite food. It's also a big hit for my daughter, because despite being like 97% my mini-me, one place we differ is that she actually likes beans. (With the exception of green beans, which I like and she does not. Go figure). It's also about the different forms of this dish that are served in different parts of the world, the names of it, and the reasons for eating it in those particular cultures. At the heart of it is the story of a boy who thinks his friends will judge him for his family serving his friends this meal, which he doesn't like that much (he picks out the beans like I do, so I sympathize with him. The taste is fine without the beans. Just sayin').
It's not wholly bound by the laws of reality, as they actually travel to each place on the back of an African Gray (parrot) and talk with other birds in the different cultures about the meal. But I found that that part of the book was actually more engaging for Madeline than the beginning, so I didn't mind it. I think the one trouble spot we ran into with this book is that there's a good portion of text on several of the pages, so little miss goldfish attention span over here wanted me to turn the pages faster than I could read them. I think as she grows, this won't be an issue, though.
It's a cute story. It's probably not going to be one of my personal favorites she has, though I did enjoy it, but I think she will request this one more as she grows because once we finished reading it and she understood that they had been talking about daddy's favorite dinner, she was more excited about it!
On the whole, it's a really good story about how you might worry that your cultural traditions will make you too different in the eyes of your friends, but you'd be surprised how much we have in common, which is a great message.
July 8, 2018
The Stacks: June 2018
Okay, so for a month in which I designed two whole boxes worth of art, and celebrated Madeline's birthday, and also left for vacation, I'm really impressed with how much I read. Obviously, Audible and Scribd were involved in making this happen, but it still counts! I probably could have read more, but I got a little obsessed with Sense8 and then struggled toward the end of the month to stay awake as late as I have been the past few months. I blame the pregnancy 100% for this.Little Women Louisa May Alcott
Review to come
The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame
Review to come
The Little Prince Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Review to come
The BFG Roald Dahl
Review to come
Ella Enchanted Gail Carson LevineReview to come
City of Ashes Cassandra ClareReview to come
City of Glass Cassandra Clare
Review to come
City of Fallen Angels Cassandra Clare
Review to come
City of Lost Souls Cassandra Clare
Review to come
June 25, 2018
Maddie Moo Kids Book Review: Perfectly Norman
by: Tom Percival
I'm not going to lie, I was totally into this book the moment I saw the cover and read the title.
I was happy to discover that I also loved the inside artwork and the story as well. Sometimes a cover looks really promising but the artwork or story just don't live up to the expectations the cover sets.
This is a story about a boy who is different, who tries to hide what makes him different, to his own detriment. He doesn't think his parents or people in general will understand and so all the while that he hides what makes him special, he's uncomfortable and unhappy, and then *SPOILER ALERT* one day he decides to stop hiding who he is, and inspires others like him to reveal themselves.
This, of course, is all done very visually by giving Norman wings. But this is seriously just the sweetest little metaphor for so many things that make us different. I actually really adore this book. The message is a great one.
When I first read it, I was a little disappointed not to get to see more of the parents' reactions to him revealing his wings, but upon reflection, I decided it was a smart move not to show specifically whether the parents supported him or not. Had we seen the parents be really supportive, it would have been lovely, but it also could potentially have the effect of sending the message that what happens after that point would only have been possible for him because he felt supported, rather than what the story does now by sending the message that regardless of how his parents feel, he can flourish. I do think the parents looked cool with it, but you just don't hear their thoughts on it.
Anyway, I love this book. It has a great message AND the artwork is lovely!
I'm not going to lie, I was totally into this book the moment I saw the cover and read the title.I was happy to discover that I also loved the inside artwork and the story as well. Sometimes a cover looks really promising but the artwork or story just don't live up to the expectations the cover sets.
This is a story about a boy who is different, who tries to hide what makes him different, to his own detriment. He doesn't think his parents or people in general will understand and so all the while that he hides what makes him special, he's uncomfortable and unhappy, and then *SPOILER ALERT* one day he decides to stop hiding who he is, and inspires others like him to reveal themselves.
This, of course, is all done very visually by giving Norman wings. But this is seriously just the sweetest little metaphor for so many things that make us different. I actually really adore this book. The message is a great one.
When I first read it, I was a little disappointed not to get to see more of the parents' reactions to him revealing his wings, but upon reflection, I decided it was a smart move not to show specifically whether the parents supported him or not. Had we seen the parents be really supportive, it would have been lovely, but it also could potentially have the effect of sending the message that what happens after that point would only have been possible for him because he felt supported, rather than what the story does now by sending the message that regardless of how his parents feel, he can flourish. I do think the parents looked cool with it, but you just don't hear their thoughts on it.
Anyway, I love this book. It has a great message AND the artwork is lovely!
