Maddie moo Kids Book Review: A Donkey's Little Tale
Written by: R. Mitchell Scott
We were sent this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was looking forward to this one because of how much Madeline enjoyed the movie about the donkey... The Star I think it was called... on Netflix. But I don't think it was as engaging as the movie.
The language, for one, while it had a nice rhythm and flow to it, was antiquated. It felt like it had been lifted from a bible, which is fine... except for in a kids book, it comes off a bit like reading Shakespeare. You really have to listen to the words and work through them slowly to make the pictures in your head. I mean, it wasn't so terrible you can't understand it. But it's definitely on the bible study end of things is all I'm saying. Here is a sample sentence:
"The master stooped and laid her things o'er fronds upon the sands, then lifted up to her a pair of rough and leathered hands."
It's not an inherently bad sentence. But the structure makes me stumble unless I read it much slower than I usually do. I hope this makes sense. I realize this is mildly nitpicky, but it definitely stands apart from the rest of our library because of the structure of the language, so it's worth noting.
Anyway, aside from that, my only other issue with this overall sweet and simple story was that the book was lacking a little in plot. They start at an oasis and spend s few pages drinking water and repacking their things. You see the love and care the master has, but there's nothing that really invests you. It's like watching people while you're at the airport or a coffee shop. I would have liked to see a bit more... I guess more reason to want to turn the page. I wanted the donkey to emote more of the responsibility of what he was doing. I mean, he's carrying a pregnant woman. At the very least he should be feeling like he has to do his best as he carries her. I think he was just a little distant as a narrator, which was unfortunate, because I think this book was an opportunity to engage young Christian children.
That said, Madeline enjoyed it, so take my opinions with a pinch of salt. She listened intently throughout the book, and said she liked it when we finished reading it. I just don't know how often she will request it. And I think if it had just had some "action" like some sense of urgency at least, it would have helped the overall narrative and made the payoff that much sweeter at the end. The donkey is just too passive a protagonist for my taste.
We were sent this book in exchange for an honest review.I was looking forward to this one because of how much Madeline enjoyed the movie about the donkey... The Star I think it was called... on Netflix. But I don't think it was as engaging as the movie.
The language, for one, while it had a nice rhythm and flow to it, was antiquated. It felt like it had been lifted from a bible, which is fine... except for in a kids book, it comes off a bit like reading Shakespeare. You really have to listen to the words and work through them slowly to make the pictures in your head. I mean, it wasn't so terrible you can't understand it. But it's definitely on the bible study end of things is all I'm saying. Here is a sample sentence:
"The master stooped and laid her things o'er fronds upon the sands, then lifted up to her a pair of rough and leathered hands."
It's not an inherently bad sentence. But the structure makes me stumble unless I read it much slower than I usually do. I hope this makes sense. I realize this is mildly nitpicky, but it definitely stands apart from the rest of our library because of the structure of the language, so it's worth noting.
Anyway, aside from that, my only other issue with this overall sweet and simple story was that the book was lacking a little in plot. They start at an oasis and spend s few pages drinking water and repacking their things. You see the love and care the master has, but there's nothing that really invests you. It's like watching people while you're at the airport or a coffee shop. I would have liked to see a bit more... I guess more reason to want to turn the page. I wanted the donkey to emote more of the responsibility of what he was doing. I mean, he's carrying a pregnant woman. At the very least he should be feeling like he has to do his best as he carries her. I think he was just a little distant as a narrator, which was unfortunate, because I think this book was an opportunity to engage young Christian children.
That said, Madeline enjoyed it, so take my opinions with a pinch of salt. She listened intently throughout the book, and said she liked it when we finished reading it. I just don't know how often she will request it. And I think if it had just had some "action" like some sense of urgency at least, it would have helped the overall narrative and made the payoff that much sweeter at the end. The donkey is just too passive a protagonist for my taste.
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