Cover for Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure

The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure

Because Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.

Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.

This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.

elisathelvarik

1573965
I would not have chosen this book based on its title, cover, and description. This book is clearly a children's book meaning that I am not the target audience. I do not have a child nor am I a child. The title is quite lengthy for a children's book. The cover shows beautiful watercolors but doesn't show much about the plot. The description is cool and interesting. It reveals the idea of Taoism in the book. The official review also expands on this cool and unique concept for a children's book. These factors did convince me to read the first ten pages. It is too long-winded as well. The bird drawings as the "LiaBots" are adorable and unique. The watercolor is gorgeous, which makes me wish I could read the physical book. This book has some serious issues. One big issue that I have with this book is the title. It is not properly capitalized in terms of most book titles. I know that this may be an author's stylistic choice, but I think it makes the book seem unprofessional. Even from the first ten pages, I noticed several long-winded sentences with excess commas that should be broken into other sentences. For instance, on the second page of the novel, it states, " Each day was very busy for Emilia Rose, what with going to the park, being outside for walks and playing with her friends, Not to mention cuddles with her cat Bert, visits with her favorite cousin Rowan and eating all the delicious and healthy meals that were set in front of her." I understand that long, complex sentences are the author's choice, but sentences like this are overused and exhausting to read. Even though I love the colors and overall concept of the novel, this book is incredibly frustrating to read due to the errors and long sentences. I will not read the rest of the book until these issues are fixed. I can safely say that this book is not professional and needs revision.

First Ten review added on November 4, 2020, at 4:43 am by elisathelvarik.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

va2016

119030
The cover and the title are indicative of the theme of the book. There are no Amazon customer ratings, which is making it difficult for me to decide if I should sample the book or not. The Amazon summary gives a good description of the book, which is about Emilia Rose's visit to LiaLand in her dreams. As it is a children's book, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration containing very beautiful illustrations of Liabots and Emilia's childhood story. The story is very beautiful too, but since I am not into children books, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked about the book is its beautiful illustrations. I don't have any suggestions for the improvement of the book. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on November 4, 2020, at 3:47 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Aubrey Lewis

197111
The overall appearance of the book fits its genre and seems appealing to the eyes, in my opinion. When I read through the official OBC review, I felt that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the book since I'm not very fond of reading children's books even though adults can appreciate the story as well. If I weren't a part of this program, I wouldn't have read the sample at all since the book's cover, genre, and summary didn't interest me enough to want to check it out willingly.

When I finished sampling the first few pages, I decided not to read the rest of the book. The contents seemed professionally edited so far except for one mistake I spotted in the beginning of the story: "Each day was very busy for Emilia Rose, what with going to the park, being outside for walks and playing with her friends, Not to mention cuddles with her cat Bert, visits with her favorite cousin Rowan and eating all the delicious and healthy meals that were set in front of her." It is supposed to be a period before the word "Not".

Story-wise, the plot seemed quite charming so far, which is a good start for a children's book. Emilia Rose already seemed like a bright, cheerful child who had her own secret, fantastic adventures in LiaLand with the LiaBots. I also liked the watercolor style of the illustrations since it gave off a warm, comfortable aura.

Unfortunately, since the story and genres aren't my cup of tea, I will have to pass on this book. However, I did enjoy the sample so far, so I don't think there are any improvements the author should make.

First Ten review added on November 4, 2020, at 3:45 am by Aubrey Lewis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

xsquare

1815722
I wouldn’t have sampled this book based on the blurb and genre – I’m a little hesitant of books that are spiritual in nature, especially since this is a children’s book. Even after reading the OBC review, I was not quite convinced. On sampling the book, I noticed a typo almost immediately: ‘[...] playing with her friends, Not to mention cuddles with her cat Bert [...]’, the ‘Not’ should not have been capitalised since it was preceded by a comma instead of a full stop. I did like the beautiful illustrations, but I thought that the book should have been better edited since it was meant to be read by children. I won’t be reading the rest of the book due to the genre and the errors.

First Ten review added on November 4, 2020, at 3:39 am by xsquare.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

edztan15

1593937
I'm not a spiritual person, nor an extremely philosophical one, so the blurb and review for the book didn't make me interested in it. Although the premise is interesting, I find the incorporation of Taoism in a children's book a bit off from my taste. Reading the sample, it seems like there are so many things going on that I'm not sure if the young readers would be able to follow everything in the book. The book would also be more readable if the font has been made thicker to contrast with the colorful background. I did not find any errors in the sample pages, but I would have to take a pass on this one.

First Ten review added on November 4, 2020, at 2:09 am by edztan15.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Aditi Sapate

1296030
I would have chosen to read this book based on the title, cover and genre, as I usually do enjoy reading children's books. The official OnlineBookClub review gave me a brief summary of the book. When I started sampling the book, I liked the idea of teaching kids about spirituality through a book. I will continue reading this book. There was only one thing I slightly disliked about the sample. It was that the illustrations didn't always match the text. There were no grammatical errors in the sample.

First Ten review added on November 4, 2020, at 12:35 am by Aditi Sapate.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Annelore Trujillo

97769
I would have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. I like to find new books for my kids, and this seemed like a good one. After reading the first ten pages, I will be finishing this book. I liked the way all the LiaBots were introduced. They each had a little description. I also liked that the author included a prologue to describe the purpose of the book and how it focused on the the key understandings of the Tao. However, there was one part of the book that needs improvement. The author mentioned that it’d be fun to read this with kids while putting their name in the place of “Emilia Rose”. However, Emilia Rose is a very specific character. I have boys and I can’t put their names into the book with the way it is written. However, I’ll read it to them as is. The book did seem to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on November 4, 2020, at 12:17 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

moowshiri

1527685
I would have overlooked the book had I not been part of this program. Based on its cover, I could easily tell that it is a children's read; I don't particularly appreciate reading this kind of books. On sampling its first ten pages, I loved the use of graphical images throughout the book. I also loved Ford's choice in selecting bright colors for the themes on each page. They'll definitely go a long way in capturing a young reader's attention. There are also no errors in the few pages I read. I also didn't find sections that need improvement. Nonetheless, I have no plans of reading the book further. Reading about Emilia, Puff Liabot, Glow Liabot, and Dew Liabot wasn't captivating for me. The book also has an official review from OnlineBookClub.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 11:52 pm by moowshiri.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MeganDJ

1435922
If I were younger, I think I would have been drawn to the cover especially, regardless of the first 10 pages. Although it looks like a cute and worthwhile read, I will not be reading this book, as I am not the intended audience. I did not find any errors in my read through, which is especially important for a children's book. I loved the illustrations with their bright and vibrant colours, and for a children's book, there is nothing that I would suggest that would improve it. I did see an Online Book Review on this one, and it did provide a concise summary of this adorable tale.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 10:34 pm by MeganDJ.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Wy_Bertram

1608356
Had it not been part of the first ten program, I would have not sampled this book, due to the fact that it's intended for much younger readers.

No, I will not be reading the entire book. Once again, this is a children's book. Had I any younger family members, I would at least get this for them.

This book seemed generally well-edited, but I did find this grammar error.

“Now, Emilia Rose lived with her mummy and daddy, [who] she loved with all her heart...”. Although, I feel this might be an intentional oversight due to the nature of the story.

In the bit I read, I liked most the author's creativity. While I don't read a lot of children's stories, sleuthing imaginary friends seems like a unique concept. In the way of improvement, I wish there was more to the Liabots' design. Their avatars within the pages don't seem very professional or even interesting sadly.

This book received a perfect rating on the website.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 10:14 pm by Wy_Bertram.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jsovermyer

1045410
The picture on the cover is cute, and I like the title. If I had a child to buy for, I would probably select this book from the cover alone. The official reviewer rated this story high.The author wrote this special children's book for her granddaughter but suggests changing the character's name to your child's name. It teaches the connection with all nature and with each other and the importance of living a balanced life. I found an error on page 15 where it says, "The LiaBots were very excited, there were so many questions to ask and they all spoke at." The sentence is not complete. Spoke at? My favorite thing about the story is that it teaches about the Tao in an easy way for children to understand. My least favorite part are the Liabots. They look like the "Care Bears" in penquin form. Also I thought that Emilia Rose should be more involved in the adventure with the Liabots. The story is cute, and I like that it teaches our connection to nature in an unusual and unique way. I would like to finish this story and learn more about Tao.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 10:04 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jeremie Mondejar

215415
I will sample this book even if without the program because this genre is my favorite. By just flipping on the pages, I already like the water color paint type of illustrations. Emilia Rose had a wonderful dreams set in Lialand. I appreciate the author's creative teachings of the Tao to the little children. I'm quite sure that kids who have the same beliefs with the author will love this tale very much. Though I don't believe Taoism, I already read this book in one setting because the genre suits my interest. I didn't notice any typos while reading the book as well as anything for improvement. This children's book is professionally edited.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 8:15 pm by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Chelsy Scherba

75151
I really like the water color illustrations of Emilia Rose. She looked cute surrounded by balloons and the big bear. If I was a child, I would be intrigued by her question about where rainbows come from. Emilia will find out when she visits the LiaBots in LiaLand. The review mentioned this book teaches kids about the Tao, which is interesting. You don’t see a lot of books for kids that expose them to these ideas. The book looks exceptionally edited without any errors to speak of. I like that the author encourages parents to insert their child’s name into the story as well if they want to, since she originally wrote it for her granddaughter. I don’t have kids or read children’s books often, so I would not have found this book outside of the program.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 4:45 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Elvis Best

337782
Considering the book's genre, I would not have read it because I often read only nonfiction books. Also, after reading the sample, I would not read the rest of this book because children's books are not my cup of tea. Furthermore, I suspect the book to be professionally edited, although I found one error in the first few pages. For example, the word 'what' should have been omitted from the following sentence: "Each day was very busy for Emilia Rose, what with going to the park...". The one thing I liked most was the beautiful illustrations in the book. Further, I do not have any suggestions for improvement and read an Official OnlineBookClub review that presented the book well.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 4:32 pm by Elvis Best.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mbrooks2518

1121144
The summary of this book piqued my interest, so I would have sampled it even without The First Ten. The incorporation of Tao is interesting, and I like the illustrations. They have a hand-drawn and hand-painted look to them. This seems like a story my niece might enjoy, so I am going to read the rest of the book.

There was one thing that seems to be an editing mistake. On the first page of the story, Emilia Rose is described as having "sparkly eyes and a very intelligent but cheeky chin." I think this is supposed to say grin instead of chin. Besides this mistake, nothing needs to be improved. The official review had no affect on my opinion.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 3:33 pm by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sarah_Khan

89585
At first glance, I would not have picked this up without the First Ten program because it is a children's book. The cover and title seem average for this genre. I have never heard of the Tao, so I appreciated the little explanation given in the beginning. The watercolors were very calming. I liked that the author suggested to replace the main character's name with your child's and even changed the font color to make it easy. I did notice an editing error: "...being outside for walks and playing with her friends, Not to mention cuddles with her cat Bert". The "N" should not be capitalized. The OBC review was favorable. The reviewer mentioned that a previous version she read included some editing errors. Since I do not have kids, I do not intend to read the rest of this book. I do not have any suggestions for the author.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 2:04 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Catherine Hsu

104096
If I had not read the sample, I would not have read the book as I do not think it is my genre. I am too old for children's books and there are also no children in my life. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. The book needs some more editing. For example, "Rainbows just made her smile, they were so pretty" is a sentence with a comma splice error. There were also words capitalized incorrectly in the middle of sentences, like "Not to mention cuddles...". I think the art looks great but the book really needs more editing — the errors are offputting, especially for a children's book. The official review did not affect my decision; although I appreciate there was a revision, I did not see that in the sample.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 12:59 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gabrielle Sigaki

1762417
Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure by Dr. Debra Ford is a children's book about a girl who becomes a mystic with magical powers at night in her dreams. If I didn't sample this book, based on the cover, I would want to read the novel since it brings beautiful watercolor illustrations that catch children's attention. When I saw its Official OnlineBookClub review, I presumed that I would enjoy reading the book since the author approached the Tao with the story, which is an aspect that interests me. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind, and I will read the entire novel since I enjoyed the plot and the idea of the book with the Tao, but my favorite aspects were the watercolor illustrations that are colorful and attractive. The book seems professionally edited, I didn't find errors or typos in it, and there's nothing to be improved in it in my opinion.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 11:54 am by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Mallory Porshnev

768407
I love the message of this book and that the cover clearly displays what the reader is getting into. I definitely wanted to give it a look. The OBC review also encouraged me to read. I liked the beautiful watercolor pictures and the fact that I found no editing errors. I think this is a great book for children and people of all ages as it teaches the simplicity of Taoism. I wish that it were longer. I will definitely be reading the rest.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 11:19 am by Mallory Porshnev.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Vickie Noel

249577
I love children's books and would have sampled this book outside the program. However, I will not be reading it further because of the presence of mysticism, metaphysical concepts, and the yin-yang philosophy which I don't subscribe to. I'm not comfortable with the idea of those teachings being promoted even in children's books. I found at least two grammatical errors. One is the presence of a comma in the sentence, "They were to go on an adventure, out into the world to find out where rainbows begin. "Begin" should be "began" because of the verb tense "were." Also, "Not" in "...Not to mention cuddles with her cat..." should not start with a capital letter. The book still needs improvement in the area of editing; it should be pristine for the sake of its audience. I saw an OBC review, but it didn't influence my decision.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 11:07 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Iva Stoyanova

1815771
If I wasn’t part of this program, I would not have chosen to sample or read the book. First of all, the book is aimed at children. The official review helped me gain an insight into the book. The cover, the genre, and the title are very well presented, and it is clear that it is a children’s book. Usually I don’t read children’s books, as I don’t have kids to read them to. I am not going to buy and read the book. As I said, I do not read children’s books and this one is not an exception. After I read the first ten pages, I was intrigued but I didn’t change my initial thoughts.

I think the book is professionally edited and very well written. I enjoyed the images and the simple language that was used. It is a great book, suitable for children and their parents. I find the concept of Tao really interesting, and the fact that the author has included it in this children’s book is amazing. I don’t have anything against this book. Based on my opinion, there is no need for any improvements.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 7:21 am by Iva Stoyanova.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Maria Esposito

1518462
I knew I would not be reading this book before I sampled it. The cover and title portray the book as a children's novel, and I have no kids of my own that I would buy it for. However, I really like the blurb, as well as the fact that the book is based on the principles of the Tao. I have to note that the blurb has a typo in its last line: "around youThree principles..." The book does not appear to have any customer reviews, but this had no impact on my decision. Reading the first ten pages did not make me change my mind. Emilia Rose travels to LiaLand each night, a land where toys are free and everyone is friendly. Emilia Rose is the author's grandbaby, and this book is dedicated to her. I found this very endearing and beautiful, and if I had children of my own, I would make sure to read this book to them, replacing Emilia Rose's name with their own, as the author suggested. However, I don't have kids. The book seems professionally edited. It has an official review on Online Book Club, but this had no impact on my decision.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 5:43 am by Maria Esposito.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

aacodreanu

323834
Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would have chosen to read or sample this book based on the cover (the image of Emilia Rose in nice water colours is sweet), the title (very convenient for children’s adventure books), the genre – looking for a nice present for a child , and the Official OnlineBookClub review that I saw, which gave me a positive feeling as to the book standard. I am not going to buy and read the whole book just now, but I will as soon as I find a target reader for it. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind from my original guess. Based on what I read, the book seems like it was professionally edited. I like the idea of night-time adventures. I am sure that, after reading the book, children will be more willing to go to bed, expecting similar adventures to happen to them in their sleep. I don’t think anything should be changed.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 4:58 am by aacodreanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Alice Heritage

173569
I might have sampled this book without the programme as I enjoy this author's work and find Tao concepts helpful. I will read the rest of this eventually as it provides an alternative perspective on the trigrams that I'm familiar with from the author's other work. I liked the watercolour illustrations as these filled the page with soft tones. I also liked the idea of substituting another child's name for Emilia Rose, though I note that more details than just the name would need to be changed - if reading to a boy who doesn't live with mummy, daddy and nanny, just as an example! Another minor detail that could perhaps be improved is the use of the word perspective as this is something children in the target age group don't have. It is acceptable to use it, but more explanation might be needed. I did not notice any errors in the sample; I note from the official review that those in an earlier draft were corrected. The review was helpful in giving me an idea of what to expect from the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 3:51 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Mutai Marshal

1793503
The story is about a little girl, Emilia Rose. She lived with her parents and nanny, Susan, who was one of her favorite people in the world. Emilia had a secret that she kept to herself. The book was written from the third-person perspective. I loved most the graphical representation that made the book memorable. The language used is also simple. The book title and cover page dissuaded me from reading this book since they both hinted on it being a children's book, a genre I am not an enthusiast of. Neither the beautiful review by OBC nor sample changed my stand about reading it. Consequently, I will not buy this book because of its genre. It was exceptionally edited, and I cannot suggest any improvements.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 2:30 am by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Nikolas Farmakis

1469016
This is a children's book related to fantasy and magic. It is about a girl who travel to a mythical place in her dreams. I would not have read this book based on the cover, the title, or the genre, as this is a fantasy novel, and I do not like fantasy novels. I will not read this book because it seems more suitable for girls and I am not a girl. I did not find objective grammatical errors in the sample I read, hence this book has been professionally edited. What I liked most about the sample I read was that it contained lots of colorful illustrations that added liveliness to the story. To improve, the author should try to make this book more exciting by making this story more original and authentic. This book had an Official OnlineBookClub review, which did not affect my opinions.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 2:09 am by Nikolas Farmakis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sou Hi

1445186
For a children's book, the cover is quite beautiful and eye-catching. Even though it doesn't have many responses from Amazon's customers, the official review seems good. Since it explores the fantasy genre and the Tao, it piques my interest, so I opt for the sample. We are introduced to Emilia Rose and her little secret, one she would share with no one, even her beloved people: Emilia has the power to become a mystic in her dreams. Every night, she would transform and visit the LiaBots who live in the LiaLand.

I like the book's subject and the pretty illustrations included in it. With vivid colors, these watercolor drawings are quite attractive. Not only the children, even the adults who like arts will find those appealing. I think those paintings will be inspirational for the kids' style and sense of art. The editing looks good, as I only find one error. Unfortunately, there's something the book needs to improve. It's a bit hard to read with the purple/blue backgrounds, especially when Emilia's name itself is also in blue. I suppose it's better if the background is removed or replaced with another one. Still, since this looks interesting, I will buy it.

Error example: ...playing with her friends, Not to mention cuddles with her cat Bert -> [Not] shouldn't be capitalized.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 2:09 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sanju Lali

739725
It was evident from the cover and the title that this is a children's book. I considered reading the official review of this book before buying because I was curious to know what this book offers to me. The official review was helpful to let me know that this book has a collection of the children's stories, which explain the concepts of connection, balance, and flow. This idea piqued my interest to sample the book. After reading the first ten pages, I found that this book was professionally edited as I did not notice any grammatical or typing errors. The things l liked the most in this book are the eye-catching illustrations, which makes the book look attractive. Unfortunately, the book is based on advanced concepts, which are difficult to visualize even for an adult reader like me. For example, Star LiaBot and Peak LiaBot were hard for me to visualize them as characters. I am afraid that these concepts may skew the children's understanding of true reality and may hinder their ability to face future challenges. My suggestion to the author is to consider the shortcomings listed by me in the above sentences. After looking at all these aspects, I decided not to purchase and read this book today. I will wait until the author considers my suggestions so that reading this book gives a rewarding experience for me.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 2:08 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Shrabastee Chakraborty

614426
I loved the colorful cover. The official OBC review rates it a full 4 stars. Based on the genre and the reviews, I would have read the book. Among the first ten pages, page 3 contains an error ("who" should be "whom"). The author talks about her granddaughter, Emilia Rose, who travels to an imaginary land in her dreams. Her parents or nanny do not know about this land or the Liabots who inhabit it. I liked the illustrations and the writing. I don't have any suggestions for improvement. I would like to read the book.

First Ten review added on November 3, 2020, at 1:58 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kaitlyn Canedy

1401101
If Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I would have skipped reading the sample. I am not interested in learning about Tao, and I have no children to read this book to. After reading the sample, I can say that I found no grammatical errors at all. The official review for this title was done over by the same reviewer, as the prior review stated that there were many grammatical errors. From what I can tell, this book does not seem to have any. I liked the colorful birds at the beginning of the sample; they were bright and clearly labeled so children can know what each bird stands for. Honestly, I cannot think of any improvements for Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure. I will be passing on it, as the topic that it discusses does not interest me, but readers who want to teach their kids about Tao should not pass it up.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 11:49 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Verna Coy

1064106
Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I would have picked it up because the title and cover look fun for kids.
For this reason, I intend to read the whole book.
Reading the first ten pages confirmed that the book would be fun. It’s also very well-illustrated with beautiful artwork!
Based on what I read, the book seems professionally edited.
I didn’t see errors in the first ten pages.
What I liked most about what I read is how the author references three key points in life, balance, connection, and flow.
I know that this book will appeal to children of all ages.
As far as improvements, I could see no need for any in what I read.
I did read the Official Online Book Club review and found it insightful. It didn’t affect my views of the book.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 11:19 pm by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jennifer Donovan Smith

1483456
This is not a book I would have sampled without the First Ten program as the cover and title clearly mark it as a children’s book.

The official OBC review stated that this book has undergone a revision due to errors, but I still found several errors in the thirteen pages I read. The book needs another revision, unfortunately. For example:

“Each day was very busy for Emilia Rose, what with going to the park, being outside for walks and playing with her friends, Not to mention cuddles with her cat Bert, visits with her favourite cousin Rowan and eating all the delicious and healthy meals that were set in front of her.” (p. 3)

This very long sentence has the word “Not” capitalized unnecessarily.

“The LiaBots were very excited, there were so many questions to ask and they all spoke at.” (p. 13)

This is a comma splice. Replacing the comma with a semi-colon or separating this phrase into two sentences is necessary. Additionally, a word is missing at the end (perhaps “once”?). Lastly, there should be a comma after the word “ask” to separate the two independent clauses. (This particular type of error occurs frequently throughout the book.)

I really liked the watercolor art, but I didn’t care much for the pages I read. I urge the author to seek yet another editor for this book. As I am disappointed that this book still contains errors despite the revision, I will not be finishing it.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 11:14 pm by Jennifer Donovan Smith.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kelyn

741624
Even if I had not been a member of this club, it is entirely possible that a combination of the genre, title, and cover of this book would have prompted me to pick it up. I am always looking for good children's books (genre) to read with my grandchildren, and the colorful cover of this one is an eye-catcher. The "creatures" on the cover are adorable and sure to capture any child's attention. The title goes well with the cover as the creatures are, of course, the colors of the rainbow! The author is unknown to me, so that would not have influenced my decision. The blurb presents a very endearing story that teaches tenants that every child in today's world needs to know. (Courage, bravery, and perseverance) The fact that they are presented as aspects of Tao made me curious. I enjoy learning about other religions. There was one customer review on the Amazon site, and it was very positive about the book. Although I did not see a review from this program on that site, if I had, I would have been interested in what the reviewer had to say. The review on this site was highly complimentary of the book and how it teaches the lessons of the Tao. This gave me a positive vibe going into the sample. Although the sample was quite short, since we had been given a copy of the book for Kindle (Thank you!), I went and read it there. I loved that each Liabot had their 'moment in the sun' when their powers were used to help the adventure along. My favorite line of all was when Peak was helping them be stronger and calmer. “This is good,” said Peak, even though he wasn’t sure why the LiaBots had decided to sit on his head." I laughed out loud at the silliness, and I know my grandchildren will too. Obviously, I've already read the book, but I do plan on reading it to them when I have a chance. The book seemed well-edited. I found no 'countable' errors in the sample.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 9:57 pm by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Laura Lee

1513376
Well, this is a first for me! I was intrigued by a well-written Amazon blurb. (I've never encountered Taoism taught on a level for young children and that fascinated me.) But what sold me, even before I read the review, was the incredibly gorgeous illustrations! These are not the computer-generated images that are so ubiquitous to so many self-published children's books. Instead, these illustrations are gorgeous, original watercolors! Those two factors combined were enough to convince me to finish the book even before I read the review so, really, the review (though interesting and well-written) really did not influence my decision at all.

I'm excited about reading Taoism for a child. I'm fascinated by the premise of this book. That, and the beautiful illustrations are what I like best. The review mentioned that an earlier copy of the book had had a number of errors, but those had been thoroughly corrected. Maybe all the errors the reviewer listed were corrected, but reviewers are required to only list the first 10. I did find some typos in the book, but these were errors of punctuation, and one error of capitalization (a word in the middle of a sentence was incorreclty capitalized on the first page of the story) rather than mispelled words or grammatical errors. It's clear it's been carefully edited, but these picky little errors that still exist are enough that I can't say it's been professionally edited. And that's the only thing I "disliked" about the book.

That said, it's a charming story. I'm glad that this program brought it to my attention but, even without it, the beautiful illustrations and the Amazon blurb would have been sufficient to convince me to read the book if I had known about it.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 9:16 pm by Laura Lee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Ari Martinez

1624319
Since this book is clearly aimed at children based on the title, cover, and Official OnlineBookClub review, I would not have chosen to sample it if it weren't for the First Ten program because I do not have any children that I could read this book to. Even after sampling the first ten pages, I will not be reading the rest of the book because I am not the target audience for the book. The book does seem professionally edited. From what I read, I liked that the book seems a bit more complex than the average children's book because it does not underestimate the child's intelligence. To improve the book, I would take out the "imagine that!" line on the first page because it implies liking vegetables is not normal, which just ends up reinforcing to kids the idea that they shouldn't like vegetables because it is not a normal thing to like.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 9:01 pm by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

CrescentMoon

56447
After reading the blurb, I wouldn't pick this book up because I don't read children's books and I don't have any children in my life to read this to. I'm also not much into spirituality or Tao so I'm not the target audience for this book. After reading the sample, I did spot a few grammar errors. In the first page, "...playing with her friends, Not to mention cuddles with..." there should be a period after friends instead of a comma since the next word "Not" begins with a capital letter and is the start of a new sentence. What I liked best about the book so far was the writing style. I thought it was simple and direct which is great for kids and easy to understand for them. I also like how the author explained in the prologue the three key understandings of Tao such as connection, balance, and flow. I think kids can learn a lot from this. The illustrations were beautiful. My only suggestion for improvement is to fix the grammar errors. There was an onlinebookclub review, but I'm not interested in Tao or have kids so I won't be reading the rest.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 8:34 pm by CrescentMoon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jorge Leon Salazar

1225511
In the first pages, the book tells about the protagonist, Emilia Rose. It narrates regarding her family and the things she likes such as playing with her friends. In addition, the book tells about her secret every night in her dreams when she traveled to LiaLand, a perfect place for children. The LiaBots are also described, small beings to whom Emilia grants magical powers.
I find it intriguing the book is based on the principles of the Tao: Connection, Balance, and Flow. It is rare for a children's book to have foundations like that. The illustrations are colorful and attractive, and they reflect happiness. The book seems appropriate for children but it is also entertaining for adults. Parents or teachers would enjoy it. The author's suggestion to replace the name of Emilia Rose with that of each child to whom it is read seems appropriate. The name of Emilia is highlighted in blue. The official review is encouraging and comments on the correction of editing details that the previous version had. In what I read I did not see any errors or typos. The cover is a beautiful illustration just like the others within the book. In conclusion, I think I will read the rest of it.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 8:23 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Rodel Barnachea

1816865
Reading the book's official OBC review and Amazon page supplied me enough information on whether or not I will purchase the book. The title is a children's book, but I am a young adult who is generally uninterested in this genre. Besides, I have no younger siblings or relatives to whom I can give this book. For these reasons, I will not purchase the book.

After I read the sample, my decision remains unchanged. I will not purchase the book for similar reasons I stated in the first paragraph. Also, nothing in the sample convinced me to read the rest of the title. What I liked most is staring at the multiple illustrations included in the title. The said illustrations evoke a pleasant, dreamy feeling. I noted one grammatical error in this sentence: "Now, Emilia Rose lived with her mummy and daddy, who [whom] she loved..." The word "who" should be replaced with "whom." Apart from fixing that grammar mistake, I have nothing to suggest to the author.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 7:52 pm by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Hazel Arnaiz

1897704
Outside the program, I will not sample this book. I always like children’s books but was uncertain about this one. The cover and title were not eye-catching. The watercolor illustration looked pale. I will appreciate more vibrant colors for a story about rainbows. The image, fonts, and title needed a more adventurous and playful vibe. The blurb mentioned the principles of Tao woven in a book for a young audience. There was only one customer review, which was positive. Reading the first ten pages increased my curiosity. I liked the idea of introducing the concept of Tao to young readers. What I was particularly interested in was to find out the approach explaining the origin of rainbows. It made me decide to finish reading the book. Also, I did not notice errors on the sampled pages. Other than everything mentioned above, I have no suggestions for improvement. There was an Official OnlineBookClub review, which was insightful.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 6:48 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Juliana_Isabella

1210914
I wouldn't have chosen this book because I don't usually read children's books. Even though the review I read was positive, it didn't make me want to read the book because it is clearly intended for children. I didn't find any errors in the first ten pages, and I liked the idea of the book incorporating the principles of the Tao into a children's book. However, I don't think that it was incorporated in a child-friendly way. The prologue dove right into the definitions of the principles instead of the story. Because of this, I don't think the book would hold my (or kids') attention, so I won't be finishing it.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 6:10 pm by Juliana_Isabella.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MsH2k

1404847
Based on the cover and the title, I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. The cover design did not attract my attention, and I was not interested in a book about Tao philosophy. The pages I sampled were well written, but this book seems more suitable for an adult to read to a child instead of the child reading it themselves. The vocabulary is advanced, and the adult would need to simplify it for the child while reading it. That is not a bad thing—both types of books are beneficial for a child’s development. The illustrations are engaging, and the story seems thoughtful. The featured OnlineBookClub review was complimentary and well written, but I will not finish this book. My initial reservations stand. I am not interested in a book on Tao philosophy or one that contains magic.
I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages, and I have no suggestions for improvement. Neither the featured review nor any other sources would have a bearing on my decision not to finish this book.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 5:59 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Diana Lowery

1202329
I liked the first part of the title, but the subtitle did not interest me because of the mention that it was based on Tao. The Liabots on the cover looked like Teletubbies, which was another minus for me. The blurb made me think that it might be good for Taoists because there probably are not many children's books on the subject. The reviewer mentioned that she had helped to correct the errors in an earlier version, but I found an error in the second paragraph. The "n" in the word "not" is incorrectly capitalized in the sentence "...playing with her friends, [Not] to mention ..." I liked the watercolor illustrations. I think the author should put the name of the illustrator on the cover.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 4:11 pm by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kirsi Cultrera

1629804
Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure is a cute children’s book with its colorful illustrations. When it comes to children’s books, I usually pick the ones that my kids are most likely to enjoy, and unfortunately, this one didn’t fit into this frame. My children are rather fond of quite a different style of illustrating, and I find the concept of TAO somewhat repulsive. Therefore I would not have chosen this book based on the cover and other available information. The sample introduced me to LiaBots, who distantly reminded me of Care Bears, my childhood favorite characters. The story was lovable and brightly painted a picture of the world from the children’s point of view. I had to laugh at the description of NOLand as I painfully recognized myself as a parent. As far as I can say, the editing seemed to be well done. I found an Official OnlineBookClub review, which, together with the sample pages, confirmed my first thoughts of this book. Unfortunately, it will not find its place on our bookshelf, for the same reasons already mentioned above. However, I am sure many parents, together with their children, will enjoy reading the story.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 4:02 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Odette Chace

1623591
I don't typically read children's books and I don't have any children to read this book to. However, if I were going to read a children's book, it probably would not be this one because rainbows are so overdone. Rainbow and adventure should both be capitalized in the title. The cover art has a nice color scheme. After reading the synopsis on Amazon, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this book is educational. The official Online Book Club review gave the work a perfect rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The reviewer stated there was nothing she disliked about the book. While I was initially turned off by the title, I am looking forward to sampling the book because I'd like to learn more about the Tao. "When reading it to them, why don't you insert their name to replace Emilia Rose's name in the adventures" (pg. vi). This sentence should end with a question mark instead of a period. I noticed several other errors and don't believe the work was professionally edited. There are eight LiaBots, and I think that might be too many for children to keep straight. That part was also not very interesting. I don't plan to finish the book. My curiosity about the Tao was not enough for me to become invested in this story. The story doesn't have a conflict.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 3:33 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Brenda Creech

1236408
I like the cover and title of this book, so I would have checked it out regardless of having an official review. However, since there was an official review, I was able to get a good idea of the book's contents. I questioned whether I wanted to read the rest of the book. After reading the first ten pages, I can't deny the book is charming. The Liabots are adorable, and the illustrations in the book are lovely. I could not find anything that needs improvement. I did find one small error on page 15 in the following sentence: "The Liabots were very excited, there were so many questions to ask and they all spoke at." There needs to be a word after 'at,' perhaps 'once.' I have decided, after reading the official review and the first ten pages of the book, I won't be reading the rest. I realize it is a children's fantasy, but I am not into anything mystical or magical due to my personal religious beliefs. So, I have decided to pass.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 3:15 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kajori Sheryl Paul

997537
'Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure' is written by Dr. Debra Ford. This is an illustrated children book that is based on the key understandings of the Taoist Principles. Every night, Emilia Rose transforms into a mystic. She travels to LiaLand in her dreams. There she is among LiaBots. I like the concept of adding spirituality in a children's book. I also like the illustrations. I found some errors. For example, there should have been a comma before “and" in “..she travelled to LiaLand and lived among the friendly, funny, cheeky and brave LiaBots.” Apart from minor errors like this, the book seems to be professionally edited. The cover, title, OBC review, and the Amazon reviews give insight to the book. I will give this book a try as I would like to know how Taoism is dealt in a children's book.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 2:02 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Emy Katherine

94929
Without The First Ten program, I would not have read the book based on the genre. I am not fond of children's books, so I did not change my mind after reading the first ten pages and the OBC review. The story follows the adventure journey of a little girl named Emilia Rose, who has the unique ability to travel to LiaLand, a beautiful place where eight magical creatures (the LiaBots) live. After seeing a rainbow, she teams up with the LiaBots to solve the mystery of the formation of rainbows. The writing style was descriptive and pleasant to read. What I liked most, however, was the inclusion of many colorful watercolor illustrations; they brilliantly brought the characters to life. I am pretty sure that children will love them, too. Unfortunately, as I noticed some punctuation and capitalization errors, I would suggest another round of editing. For example, there should be a comma after "sleep" in the following sentence: "In her sleep she travelled to LiaLand and lived among the LiaBots." (page 5) There should be a comma after "wisdom" in the following sentence: "She understood that the plants and animals had knowledge and wisdom and she loved spending time learning from them." (page 9)

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 12:54 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

712962
The cover of the book is adorable, and the blurb is interesting. Honestly, I would’ve never thought of teaching kids about Tao philosophy, but I can see how it could be beneficial. The book has great ratings, but I wouldn’t have bought it because I don’t have kids.

The book has many assets that are praise-worthy, but what I liked the most was the watercolor illustrations. They’re adorable. I also think personalizing the story with your kid’s name, as the author suggests, is a great idea. The story in itself left me with some questions. Is it safe that Emilia Rose is baking by herself? (p.13) Is it a good idea to present adults as all boring and naysayers? What I did like is the positive spin the author puts on everything. For example, when Roars plan fails, he says: “Oh well, I’m powerful and noisy,” thought Roar, “but I’m also very helpful.” I hope kids learn to think that way.
I found a couple of missing commas but other than that, no significant editing mistakes, and we’ve been encouraged to be lenient with comma usage. My suggestion is to add an appendix for caregivers because honestly, I wouldn’t know how to explain to a kid what “mystical” or “perspective” means. Perhaps the author could share how she explained this to her granddaughter. The official review didn’t change my mind because I don’t have kids of my own and my nieces are too young for this book.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 11:20 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gen_g

697597
Based on the title and cover, it seems like a children's book, which I am not in the market for; hence, I would not have sampled it. I have also come across a positive OBC review of the book, but this would not have changed my decision not to sample, since this book does not belong to a genre that I am looking for. After sampling, there are a couple of errors present. For example, at the Acknowledgements page (p.4), there is a missing comma to separate clauses: "Through the teachings of the Tao(,) you deeply appreciate...". I suggest more editing. However, I appreciated the prologue inserted, which is addressed to the parents reading the book to their children. The prologue helps the adults to better understand the concept of Tao in order to help them better explain it to their children, and the three actual key understandings are listed: connection, which refers to the relationship between us all and with everything in nature; balance, where when one thing is disturbed, it also causes the disruption of balance for all; and finally, flow, where it is important to not resist, to practise non-resistance to the things happening around oneself. However, as I am not part of the target audience (i.e., a child or a parent with a child), I will not be reading the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 10:24 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

LinaJan

1695237
Typically, neither the title nor the cover art of ‘Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure’ by Dr. Debra Ford would be attractive to me as I am not into children’s literature. However, upon reading the official onlinebookclub.org review ad learning that the story is designed following Tao principles, I found myself intrigued. Having also had the opportunity to sample this book, I found that my favorite LiaBot was Terra, as I like what she represents. I also like the dynamics of writing; it is neither too slow and descriptive nor too fast and ‘stingy.’ The illustrations make the book come to life. The one thing that I noticed sadly, that there were a few punctuation and capitalization (I presume that this was a typo) errors, such as one on page 3, where ‘Not to mention cuddles’ starts with a capital ‘N’ whilst preceded by a comma. If the parents are reading the book out to children, it may not be a big deal but, if the child is reading it for themselves, it is important that the child is ‘exposed’ to correct grammar, so it becomes instilled and somewhat intuitive from an early age.
Otherwise, I look forward to learning where the rainbow starts!

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 10:21 am by LinaJan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Timothy Rucinski

697172
The Official Review is right on point in describing this lovely book. In addition, the cover is very attractive as are the pictures within. I am well beyond the time of buying such books as my children are grown, with no grandchildren in the picture, but if there were little ones running around, I would have snatched this book off the shelf. Consequently, I won't be purchasing or reading this book at this time. I most liked the illustrations and the fact that the author is able to mold her story around the concepts of the Tao. There wasn't anything that I disliked. However, the book could use a better editing job as I found numerous typos. For example, in the second paragraph of the story, the word "Not" has a capital "N" even though the word is preceded by a comma.

First Ten review added on November 2, 2020, at 8:58 am by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 33%

Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure earned a score of 33%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 33% plan to read the whole book.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.

Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.

Go to main Bookshelves page for Emilia Rose and the rainbow adventure