Cover for The Greater Understanding

The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The Greater Understanding

Because The Greater Understanding 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.

Rodel Barnachea

1816865
Upon poring over the book's official OBC review and Amazon page, I opted not to purchase the children's book. I do not have any children nor do my friends and relatives, so I have no one to whom I can gift the book. I believe I won't benefit much from acquiring the title and reading it. Also, the story does not appeal to me. Perusing its Amazon sample failed to change my mind. I would not purchase it because nothing in its Amazon sample dispelled the initial impressions I had about the story. Also, nothing in the text I read piqued my curiosity or convinced me that I'd enjoy reading the remainder of the book. The sample is quite short and only includes some pages of texts with accompanying black-and-white illustrations. My favorite part is looking at the illustrations included in the book. I wasn't able to identify any errors in the Amazon sample; I believe the book is professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 4:58 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

va2016

119030
The title "The Greater Understanding" and the cover with a tree and a cabin gives an impression that it is a book about spiritual awareness. There are 40 Amazon customer ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars, which is great. The Amazon summary is really crisp, and gives a very short summary of the story. As I got intrigued by the Amazon summary, I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the farmer's lifestyle. As I am interested in the theme of the story, I am going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked most about the book is its overall story. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I found 2 OBC reviews of the book, my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 4:53 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

xsquare

1815722
I don’t usually read children’s books, so I wouldn’t have sampled the book if it hadn’t been part of the First Ten program. The official OBC review did not really convince me. I like the illustrations of the book and the simple writing style of the author. I did not see any typos. However, I wished that the author could have specified why the farmer was “not fond of the magpies, raccoons, and skunks” – I think that would’ve helped the children have a greater understanding of the farm. While I think this book serves as a good introduction to nature, I did not find the first ten pages very compelling in terms of plot development. I don’t think I will be reading the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 4:51 am by xsquare.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Manang Muyang

176802
Yes! It's a children's book, and it's free. I find children's books great for relieving stress, so I would have sampled this one even outside of the First Ten program. And since this one is free, I will definitely read it. (I have actually read it already.) This book is about a farmer and farm life. I really enjoyed the story and its lessons, and the ending was a surprise. I found just one error in the first eight pages: On page 3, "He had a beautiful little family who he much adored" needed "whom." Though I'd read all the 25 pages, I had to reread the first eight pages to look for errors. The book has a great story and wonderful black-and-white illustrations, but the text is tiny. I hope the author can use a bigger font. The official OBC reviewer couldn't find anything to dislike in the book. I guess she has better eyesight than I do. I also think that children will want more color in the illustrations. On the other hand, asking the children to color the drawings would be a great activity, too, and it will make the reading more delightful.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 4:29 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sou Hi

1445186
The cover looks alright, and the official review from OBC is interesting. There are several good ratings on Amazon. Since the blurb is promising, I decided to give the sample a try. The story described the daily life of a nameless farmer in a small country town.

I like the book's concept. It's interesting to learn about the peaceful life of a farmer. The editing looks excellent with no countable errors, and I have no suggestions for improvement. However, the plot is more suitable for children than adults like me. Since the book is not useful enough, I won't buy it.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 4:17 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Alice Heritage

173569
I wouldn't have sampled this book without the programme as I'm not in the market for children's books. I also probably won't read the rest of it as the plot didn't grip me enough. This seems more driven by character than plot, and I can roughly guess how it ends. The text seems well edited; I noticed one error in the part I read, as follows. In the sentence "The whole family, even his wife and children were involved in harvesting, freezing, and canning the fruits and veggies to eat year round", there should be a comma after "children". I liked the illustrations, especially the detailed drawings of the animals like the pig and the rooster, because they were lifelike. I saw two OBC reviews that were helpful in confirming that it's unlikely I'd want to read this; I liked the way one noted that the main character's footprints form a trail from page to page. There was nothing that particularly needed to be improved, although as the other reviewer noted, the addition of colour could be beneficial.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 4:17 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Howlan

1471486
I would not have read the book without the program as I did not find the synopsis interesting. The first ten pages are pretty decent. It describes the story of a farmer who helps struggling families in his village and decorates the houses of widows with flowers. The illustrations were beautiful. The concept of this story is very simple and I would suggest a younger reader to read this book. The concept is simple and it lacks the mystery and thrill that I usually look for while reading books. So, I am not going to buy and read this book as I am not interested in this story. No typos were found in the first ten pages. I found nothing to improve in the first ten pages. The Official OBC review is present, and the reviewer rates it highly.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 3:59 am by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Vickie Noel

249577
I love children's books, so I would have read this book outside the program. Reading the sample didn't change my mind; I was endeared to the soft writing tone of the author and got goosebumps when I eventually discovered that the farmer was based on a real person. His description totally fits that of my fiancé. The book is professionally edited. However, I found an error in the sentence, "Corn and various grains were his cash crop..." It should be "cash crops." I also think that the sentence, "The whole family, even his wife and children were involved in harvesting, freezing and canning..." can be adjusted by removing either one of the descriptors, "the whole family" or "even his wife and children" because it's tautological. The farmer's whole family is his wife and four children as already stated in the story. I would have preferred the book's pictures to be in colour to stimulate more emotional connection; this is my recommendation for improvement. I saw an OBC review that contributed to my interest.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 3:51 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Shrabastee Chakraborty

614426
I love children's literature. The official OBC review's highest rating made me want to read this book. After sampling the first ten pages, I found a single error ("who" should be "whom" in location 12). I loved the simple yet alluring storytelling. The illustrations were also engaging. If asked for suggestions for improvement, I would suggest increasing the contrast in the illustrations, as the darker images of the animals tended to blend together. Based on my reading experience, I would love to read this book.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 3:37 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

winecellarlibrary

1483456
I wouldn’t have sampled the book outside the program because I don’t have children in the target age group. The cover is well-illustrated but does not appear to match the title at first glance. The official OBC review is positive but had no impact on my decision.

The book was free (thank you) and short, so I decided to read it in full.

There is a missing comma in the following sentence from Location 6:

“Yesiree, the farmer[] loved his farm very much.” I found no other errors.

My favorite thing about the book is the included recipe at the end. The story is very sweet and heart-warming. I have no suggestions for the author.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 3:15 am by winecellarlibrary.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Mutai Marshal

1793503
I wouldn’t have read this book outside the First Ten program. The blurb and the cover page dissuaded me from reading it as they suggested that this is a children’s read, a genre I don’t like. The sentences used are short and straightforward. Graphical presentations are deployed to make the book memorable. The virtue of kindness is what I adored about this short read. This virtue is wittily demonstrated through the farmer. Neither the OBC review nor the sample changed my mind about buying this book. Therefore, I will not complete reading this book due to its genre. Since this is a children’s book, I recommend using colored images to appeal to kids. Lastly, I didn’t flag any grammatical errors, and I believe it was exceptionally edited.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 3:13 am by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

psychopathycathy

104096
If I had not read the sample, I would have read the book as I love the cover art! After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I think the artwork is great, especially the cross-hatching style. It feels very cozy and I love how much detail is in it. The writing is also really enjoyable and even though it feels like a book for children I actually think it's good for all ages. It was professionally edited, so there's nothing I'd change. Like the official review said, the book will also appeal to adults who enjoy nature, gardening, and entertaining stories with a good message. This official review did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 3:02 am by psychopathycathy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Hhannahh

2074422
I don't think I would have sampled this book outside this program because I didn't fancy its cover and title. I did see an OBC review of the book.
However, sampling the book changed my initial impression of it. The book was better than I imagined, and, given its brevity, I completed it in the process of sampling it. I liked the story itself and its artistic illustration, especially the representation of the farmer's aging process. I also liked the recipes provided at the end of the book. Most of all, I liked the moral of this story—kindness. Also, I was impressed by the editing of this book; I didn't notice any errors in the book. This book was a quick and lovely read, and I don't think the book needs any improvement.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 2:36 am by Hhannahh.
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 children’s books for my kids. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I liked the pictures. They were simple sketches, yet beautifully done. However, I thought the story jumped around too much. It introduced the farmer, then talked about animals. Then it switched to his cash crops then back to the farm animals. I would prefer a more linear story, especially in a children’s book. This plot could use improvement. The book did seem to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on June 26, 2021, at 1:54 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

maggi3

562194
I was intrigued by this book based on the title and cover. However, I would not have read it based on the OnlineBookClub review I read, because I am not interested in children’s books. Based on the sample I read, I will still not be reading this book because I am not interested in the genre. I enjoyed the illustrations, and I think children will enjoy the story of this farmer’s life. The book seems professionally edited, as I noticed no errors. I have no advice for the author.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 11:49 pm by maggi3.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MsH2k

1404847
I enjoy reading children’s books occasionally, and the title was interesting, so I would have sampled this book even if I were not part of this program. The illustrations on the cover and throughout the book were very detailed yet uncomplicated. The writing was calming and educative as well—I had never thought to plant a tulip bed under an apple tree, and I loved the design of his garden. I will finish this book because I am interested in the farmer’s life. There also seems to be an air of mystery about him. The story was beautifully illustrated and seemed professionally edited. I found a few grammatical errors, however. At loc 3, it should be [whom]: “He had a beautiful little family who he much adored.” In this sentence at loc 10, a comma is missing after the parenthetical phrase ending in “children”: “The whole family, even his wife and children were involved in harvesting.” And also at loc 10, in this sentence, it should be [neighbors’]: “The farmer was very aware of his neighbor’s needs.” The featured OnlineBookClub review was very good; it captured the serenity of this book well and reinforced my decision to finish this read. A suggestion for improvement would be to provide an easier navigation in the Kindle version of the book. It would be helpful to have an overall view of the pages and to have the ability to bookmark a page.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 9:04 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Gabrielle Sigaki

1762417
The Greater Understanding by Nanna Pete is a children's book that talks about the importance of family, the relevance of caring about the environment, and a lot more. If I didn't sample this book, I would read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review and its genre because I'm interested in educational children's books. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I will read the entire novel since I loved the book's theme about taking care of the environment. Besides, the book seems professionally edited, I think there's nothing to be improved in it, and my favorite part was the style of the pictures because of its strokes in black and white that were unique and gave the impression of nostalgic photographs.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 8:49 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jeremie Mondejar

215415
I wasn't interested in the story by just looking at the cover photo, however, I changed my mind after sampling the book. I like the simple illustrations of the author about a hardworking father. The sample alone convinced me to read the rest of the book. Plus, the OBC review makes me more excited to add this book in my reading list. The editing is fine because I don't see any typos or errors. My only suggestion to the author is if it is possible making this book with vibrant colors.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 7:55 pm by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Chelsy Scherba

75151
I love the illustrations that accompany the flowing prose. This is a beautifully crafted children’s book that has been tended to with just as much care as the big-shoed farmer cares for his crops. I especially liked the emphasis on rotating crops to keep the soil healthy. I saw it as a dig at disgusting GMO and greedy food producers that don’t care about our health or the planet, just their profits. The OBC review definitely described this book well and encouraged me to sample it. I really enjoyed the book so far, even though I’m not a child, nor do I have children. I would not have found a book like this outside of the OBC program because of the genre and age group target. Yet, I will read the free copy I received. I like that the book is both charming and intelligent. I saw no errors or typos. It was very exceptionally edited. I have no suggestions for improvement.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 3:30 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Mariana Figueira

1878669
Before reading the book's first pages, I wasn't interested in it because nothing in the cover nor the title sparked my interest. After sampling the book, I don't want to continue reading it because I find it confusing: despite feeling like a children's book, it's unusually dark because the illustrations have no color. I like and think it's endearing that the farmer has large boots and that he says his big feet give him a "greater understanding." This book seems professionally edited and has an official Online BookClub review. I didn't like that the illustrations were black and white.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 12:08 pm by Mariana Figueira.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gen_g

697597
Based the title, font and cover alone, it seems like a children's book, which I am not in the market for; hence, I would not have sampled it. I have come across a positive OBC review of the book, although this would not change my decision not to sample, as I am not part of the target audience, nor am I in the market for this genre. After sampling, there are a few errors. At 12%, the word "who" in "...little family who he much adored..." should be "whom" (in this case, the family is the "object" of the verb "adored"). I suggest more editing to improve book quality. However, what I like about the book is that the text on the page corresponds to the illustration on the same page – this helps children (who are reading the book) to better relate to the story. To elaborate, at the beginning, we learn about a farmer who lived with his wife and their four children – he is a "sweet husband" and a "loving father". In the corresponding picture, we see a family portrait where every single individual is smiling – I also especially like that the youngest child is somewhat cut off from the photo (from being too short) – this lends it some realism. However, in order to further improve the book, I would like to suggest the addition of colour, as the book is in black and white. Colour is extremely important in children's books, in my opinion, because bright colours will help to capture and retain the child's attention, and the book being in black-and-white results, unfortunately, in a somewhat dull impression. Nonetheless, as I am not in the market for children's books, I will not be reading the rest of it.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 11:48 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sanju Lali

739725
I could hardly make any guesses from the cover and the title of this book because "The Greater Understanding” meant many things to me. Therefore, I read the OBC official review to know more about the contents of this book. The official review gave me the idea that this is a children's book, which revolves around a farmer. This information motivated me to read the sample of the book before purchasing it. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "This made best use of every square inch of ground...". The sentence could have been, "This made the best use of every square inch of ground...". The thing l liked the most is the bunch of illustrations full of richness in details. I also liked the idea of rotation of crops for better yield. Unfortunately, I was put off when I found there was no zooming faculty in my kindle copy because, for a reader who does not have very good eyesight like me, it causes some straining to the eyes. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and consider my difficulties as mentioned in the above sentences. The children's books should be error-free as children accept things as they appear to them. After looking at all these facts, I decided not to purchase and read this book today but wait until the author could help me by addressing my suggestion so that I can read this book comfortably and reap the benefits from it.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 4:46 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Dzejn_Crvena

2079692
I knew I'd love reading this book when I saw the genre and the blurb. Everything about this book is awesome! From the first page onwards, it's full of informative narration on farming. It is professionally edited because I did not see any typos. I finished reading the entire contents a few minutes after I opened it. Therefore, it's obvious that I wanted to read and buy it. (Good thing I already got the book for free today.) The OBC review, the title, and the cover appealed to me. A low rating won't convince me not to buy/read it. Despite its realistic illustration, I wish there's a more colorful version of this book to appeal more to younger kids.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 4:01 am by Dzejn_Crvena.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Justine Ocsebio

1872914
I wouldn’t have sampled this book based on the blurb, as I’m not interested in children’s books. The story is about a soft-spoken farmer who lives on a farm with his family. The farmer cared for his fruit trees, berry bushes, and grapevines. He and his family rely on their crops as their primary source of income. I like the fact that the book comes with illustrations. However, I think the drawings could’ve been more visually appealing if there were colors. This is the only aspect in the book that needs improvement. I dislike nothing else. I’m not going to read the book, as I’m not interested in the premise. The text is well edited. The official OBC review did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 3:46 am by Justine Ocsebio.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kaitlyn Canedy

1401101
Based on the title, I was not sure what to expect from The Greater Understanding book sample. The cover art is black and white, which I did not find appealing. However, after reading the entire book, I can see why the author chose not to use color for teaching her lesson. The farmer's character is what I liked the most; he is a person that I aspire to be every day. Children in older elementary grades will likely enjoy this book because of its lessons and the nice surprise at the end. There were no grammatical errors in any part of the book, and I cannot think of any improvements. An official OnlineBookClub review exists for this book, but I did not need to read it to decide to finish the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 2:20 am by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sonya Nicolaidis

1005818
At first, I thought this was a religious book, so I was surprised to learn from the OBC reviewer’s comments that it was actually a children’s book. I think the black and white illustration on the front cover, as well as the title, gave me the wrong impression - hence I would have never picked it up from off a shelf for a closer look. However, something about the reviewer’s comments and the blurb made me think there was more to this book than meets the eye. I read the sample carefully so as not to miss out on any nuances in meaning. So far, the sample was pleasant and engaging and teaches the value of good land management, but I believe there is much more to be learned up ahead. I most appreciated the opening lines of the book which are sufficiently unique to capture the reader’s interest outright. I wasn’t too crazy about the illustrations though, and the front cover design. I think a pastel or watercolor illustration would be better than plain black and white. I saw one error only in the sample and that was in making “Yes siree” into one word, but this was a minor point and I still think the book was professionally edited. I probably wouldn’t read the whole book as it is directed at a younger age group and farming doesn’t interest me much. Having said that, it would make a good gift for younger readers.

First Ten review added on June 25, 2021, at 1:43 am by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

smolbird

2020805
As a lover of children's books, I would have sampled this book outside of the program because of its genre. I really liked the message of the book about love, generosity, and kindness. I also liked its emphasis on farming. I found nothing to dislike about this book. I would suggest coloring the illustrations in the book to make it more appealing to kids. Having read the entire book, I can say that it is well-edited, as I didn't come across any errors. I only read its official OBC review after reading the book, so it didn't affect my decision.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 11:39 pm by smolbird.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jsovermyer

1045410
I like the cover art and title, but would probably not buy this book from the cover alone if I was selecting a children's book. Adding color to the illustrations would make the book more attractive to children. The official reviewer liked this story and gave it a high rating. I found no spelling or grammatical errors and believe it to be exceptionally edited. I liked that the farmer gave flowers, fruits and vegetables to the poor people in his community. This book teaches the value of helping others and being a good neighbor. Since the story was short, I finshed the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 10:58 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Stephanie Runyon

1424579
The plain cover isn't very eye-catching The intended audience and the title would have drawn my interest to sample the book. I liked the illustrations that went along with the topic on each page. The story appears professionally edited and I would only suggest adding color to the cover in order to draw more interest. There was an official OBC review that did positively influence my decision to read the entire book. My son liked the description of the farmer since his grandpa dresses similiarly. I found the recipes at the end to be a nice addition.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 10:22 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Odette Chace

1623591
I like the title and the cover, though I do wish that there was a little bit of color on the cover. The synopsis on Amazon didn't give me a very clear idea of what to expect from this book. The reading level is from kindergarten through 12th grade, which is a very wide range. I was glad that the official Online Book Club review gave more details about the book. However, the review was so positive that I didn't take the praise for the book very seriously. Based on the subject matter, I am interested in sampling this book for myself. I believe the work was professionally edited. I enjoyed the sample. My favorite aspect of the book was the illustrations. The entire sample was exposition. Nothing happened. This made it difficult to become truly invested in the work. I will probably finish reading it because the premise interests me and I don't think it will be a long read, but I do not feel compelled to finish it right now.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 5:46 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Yvonne Monique

1919118
I do not find that the book cover has a typical design for a children's book. I would probably not pick this book up if I would see it in a book store in case I would be looking for a children's book. As an improvement, I would suggest to make the cover a bit more colourful. The blurb and OBC review are very positive and make me curious about reading the first ten pages. The sample is well edited and free of errors. I found the story very sweet and caring. However, the beautiful decorations lack colour. For example, on the page where the author describes the colour of the clothing that the farmer wears, the illustrations are just black and white. Furthermore, I am unsure whether children would be interested in reading about pruning trees and canning vegetables. The story is very informative, though. I will not buy this book as I am not part of the target audience.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 5:29 pm by Yvonne Monique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Timothy Rucinski

697172
Although this was a very fine Official Review, I'll be skipping this book as, at my age, I don't have much need to read a children's book. But, if I were in the market for one, I would seriously consider this. The cover is amazing and would certainly have caught my eye in a store. The black and white illustrations are what I enjoyed most, particularly that crazy hat the farmer wears, and the picture of the skulking raccoon. I also appreciate the message of caring and kindness, which is so important for our little ones to learn these days. I didn't find any errors so I assume that the book was professionally edited.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 5:03 pm by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

TheMazeRunner

1994037
This cover is beautiful, and I would sample this book. This is a great book for children as they can learn a lot of things about farming and gardening. I have found no errors in the book, and it has the official OBC review. I can tell this book is edited professionally. There is nothing I would change in it, and I will read the rest of it because I love the illustrations and the story.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 4:30 pm by TheMazeRunner.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

J_odoyo

1344976
Having read the sample, I would say that this children’s book seems to have been well-written. The Illustrations (though, in black and white) were eye-catching and skilfully done. The book’s cover page and title were all satisfactorily done. However, I believe that the illustrations and the cover page could have been more attractive if they were colored. I didn’t find any error in the book’s text, and I would wager that the book was professionally edited. It had an official OnlineBookClub review. The review gave an insight into what the book is all about. Sincerely, I wouldn’t recommend anything else (apart from a suggestion of colored illustrations) for the improvement of this book; the sample was well. However, after reading the sample and the review, I’m not going to finish reading this book because I’m not a fan of children’s books.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 3:22 pm by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

AntonelaMaria

1285898
I rarely read children's books, but I will continue reading this one. Besides, that it is a quick read, and I also like the topic of this book. I like how this book teaches children and reminds adults of the importance of kindness and hard work. It is also a glorious reminder that what you put out in the world will come back to you. The Official Onlinebookclub review is very informative. I didn't notice any grammatical errors. One thing I wish was different is the illustrations. I like them, but I think colorful illustrations would be better. However, that is only my opinion and doesn't take away anything from enjoying this book.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 3:12 pm by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Diana Lowery

1202329
I liked the black and white farm illustration on the cover. The title sounded religious. The Amazon blurb was very short and stated that it was a children's book, which surprised me as the title did not sound like it was aimed at a younger audience. The OBC review did not mention religion, but it did say that it contained fundamentals of gardening and farming. I liked the illustrations in the book and the dedication to the author's parents. I did not like that the sentence structure and vocabulary choices were not geared toward young readers. I did read the whole book, and I liked the message that it contained. I do not have any suggestions for the author. I did not see any errors.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 2:44 pm by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Laura Ungureanu

620179
The cover and the title gave me the feeling that this book has a serious subject at its core. The OBC review confirmed my thoughts. The book is a great tool to teach children to love our planet and to respect nature. The farmer seems to love both animals and plants. I like how detailed everything is. I also like the illustrations a lot. Even as an adult, I still wonder how farmer life must be like, so this is a great way for me to finally find out. Thus, I'm excited to continue reading this. The book doesn't need any improvement. I also didn't find any grammar errors.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 2:32 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Lisa A Rayburn

741624
Even if I had not been a member of this program, it is possible that I would have run across this book. I often peruse the children's section looking for books to read with my grandson. Having grown up in the country, the pastoral setting on the cover would have attracted my attention. It is not possible to tell what the title refers to, so it would not have made an impact. I am unfamiliar with the author, so that would not have affected my decision. There were no customer reviews on the Amazon site on which to base an opinion, not even one from this program. If there had been a review on the Amazon site from this program, I would have been interested in what the reviewer had to say. The review on this program's site was complimentary. This gave a good impression of the book going into the sample. I am from a farming family, so the sample evoked many childhood memories for me. I decided to read the book almost immediately. The farmer sounds much like my grandfather, right down to his daily outfit of overalls and a long-sleeve shirt. He, too, was a man of few words who loved to work the land. I loved how the author worked in 'farming facts' like the rotation of crops to keep the field fertile without even a hitch in the story. There's not a thing I would change, and I will definitely be reading this one with my grandson. The book seemed well-edited. I found no 'countable' errors in the sample.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 2:27 pm by Lisa A Rayburn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jorge Leon Salazar

1225511
What I read in the first pages tells a story about Yesiree, a farmer. He is represented as a family man, a devoted husband, and a loving father with his four children. He was also softhearted and kind to everyone. Fascinating aspects associated with the work of the farmer are highlighted, like the clothes he uses, the fruits and vegetables he harvests, and the animals he breeds. The story transmits positive messages, such as love for farmers' work and solidarity with neighbors or other people with needs.
The illustrations are spectacular and in concordance with what is narrated. The official review deepens in the plot based on the work on the farm and moral codes transmitted. The editing seems professional since I did not see any detail to comment on. The cover is striking and artistic. However, since it is a children's book, I think it could be convenient to add a pinch of colors. In any event, I think it would attract potential readers, especially children. Otherwise, I did not see anything that I believe can be improved. In summary, what I read presents an entertaining and pedagogical story, ideal for inculcating values ​​to children, which interests me. Hence, I think I'll read the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 2:22 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kirsi Cultrera

1629804
I doubt I would have sampled this book without this program. It is a children’s book, but it did not look like something my kids would read. Once I started reading, I discovered an adorable story with some valuable teachings. To me, this book was simply cute and heart-warming. Even so, I can not picture my kids getting excited about this book. They prefer color and specific types of illustrations. Unfortunately, this book lacked both. I am pretty sure many adults will find this book adorable. Since this book was written for children, that won’t help much. The book has a great story. Therefore, I wish the author would try to see the world through children’s eyes and consider making some changes. The editing seemed professional, and the Official OnlineBookClub review gave positive feedback. However, I am not going to buy and read this book. We already have too many children’s books on our bookshelves that are going unnoticed day after another.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 2:14 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kajori Sheryl Paul

997537
'The Greater Understanding' is written by Nanna Pete. It is the story of a hard-working farmer. He had four children and one wife. I really like the illustrations. There is nothing in need of an improvement. I have to mention that the OBC review was pretty engaging. The editing is good. I would have skipped this book without the sample based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews as I had no wish to read books about farming. I will still skip this book after reading the first ten pages as it seems that it focuses on farming too much.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 2:02 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Scerakor

45879
After reviewing the title, genre, cover, blurb, and review of this book, I would not have read this book. I'm usually very particular about the books that I buy to read to my children and there wasn't anything that stood out for me with this one. After reading the first ten pages I didn't change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. This was brought up on the review as well, but I really enjoyed the footprints throughout the pages. The farmer's tracks guide the reader through the book. That being said, it just doesn't seem interesting enough for me to present to my children; it wouldn't be up their alley. Although the book looked well written and edited, there an error that I saw on the first page. The hyphenated term "soft-spoken" does not require hyphenation unless the compound modifier comes before a noun. The thing I would have improved from the sample I read is on the presentation of the images themselves. I believe that the book would have been much better presented if it were to be in colour. There was an official OBC review, but it did not affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 1:39 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Emy Katherine

94929
The story focuses on the life of a kind, hardworking farmer who loves his family and takes good care of his animals and his large vegetable garden. As I enjoy reading crime thrillers, I would not have read the book based on the genre. I am pleased to say, though, that I changed my mind after reading the first ten pages and the OBC review. The writing style was descriptive and pleasant to read, and I thoroughly liked the black-and-white illustrations included in the book. As I did not find any typos or grammatical errors, the book seemed to be professionally edited. From what I have read, it is a lovely story that will teach children how to be kind and take care of plants and animals. Honestly, nothing needs to be improved.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 11:10 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

712962
I love the cover, but I don't think the black-and-white ink style would catch children's attention. The blurb is too vague for me to even know if I would buy this for a kid. I don't have kids, but even if I had them, I would be hesitant with such a vague blurb. Most of the ratings are great but as I said, I don't have kids, so I wouldn't have bought the book on first impressions.
I like the message of the story, of helping others without hoping for anything in return. I also like that at the end, one gets to meet the real farmer. That will help the audience empathize with the story. What I didn't like were some expressions that feel like wasted opportunities to help kids learn. For example, in position 9 says: "The farmer's pride and joy was his VERY large vegetable garden." Why not introduce a word like "huge" or "enormous" instead of using capital letters to express the size of the garden? Later on, it says that rain was "a very bad thing", where it could say "terrible". It's not even such a hard word, but it would bring variety to the story and broaden kids' vocabulary. I didn't find editing mistakes. My suggestion would be to expand the blurb and adapt the book for kids: introduce a few colors here and there and a few challenging words that can help children learn. The official review didn't change my mind mainly because I don't have an audience for this book.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 11:03 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Theresa Moffitt

857578
I like the title and cover art of this book. It seems like it is a positive book focused on understanding others. I am curious about the story, so I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. The Online Book Club review was very positive and gave this book a rating of four out of four stars. This increased my interest in the book. However, it stated that it is a children’s book. I didn’t read any additional customer reviews. The first ten pages told a wonderful story about a farmer and the crops and animals on his farm. It explained how he planted the vegetables and flowers. He also shared the vegetables and flowers with people in the town where he lived. This seems like a great book to teach children about hard work and sharing. Also, the illustrations were very good and added to the story. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages, so I believe the book was professionally edited. I also didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. Since this is a children’s book and I am not the intended audience, I will not finish reading the book. However, parents and children would love this book. The story and illustrations are interesting and teach important lessons.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 10:41 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Bertha Jackson

1904023
I would not have checked out this book regardless of the cover, title, blurb, or customer reviews because I do not enjoy children’s books. There were no editorial reviews. However, after reading the first ten pages and the OnlineBookClub review, I purchased this book and will eventually read it. I love the illustrations, life lessons, and farming techniques that are in this book. The book demonstrates that it has been professionally edited by the lack of errors and the quality of the illustrations. I did not see anything I would recommend for improvement. Nanna Pete has written an impressive children’s book that will help them understand many things.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 10:36 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Brenda Creech

1236408
I would have checked this book out because I love the cover! However, I didn't pay as much attention to the title. After reading the official review, I wanted to check out the illustrations and the story. In the first ten pages, I didn't find any errors or anything that needs improving. I found the story likable and relatable for children. I love the footprints that go from page to page, leading the way throughout the book. I also liked the description of how the farmer planted food crops and shared them each year with the widows and needy families in his community. The illustrations should keep a child's attention throughout the story. I find this book to be an excellent choice as a children's book. I enjoyed what I read, but I don't intend to finish reading the book at this time. I wouldn't be able to stay focused. However, I do intend to make sure my grandson has a copy of this book.

First Ten review added on June 24, 2021, at 9:54 am by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 53%

The Greater Understanding earned a score of 53%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 53% 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 The Greater Understanding