Review of Little Elli Mae is staying safe and well so how about you?

AvidBibliophile · Post by **AvidBibliophile** » 11 Mar 2022, 19:11

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Little Elli Mae is staying safe and well so how about you?" by Cynthia Shareen Dobbs.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Throughout the recent COVID-19 pandemic, kids of all ages have struggled to understand the unexplainable shift that has drastically impacted lives around the world. Little Elli Mae Is Staying Safe and Well, So How About You? is a Christian children’s book by Cynthia Shareen Dobbs, and it is about a little girl who finds herself seeking answers, guidance, strength, and reassurance through God and her family. She desperately misses simpler times, times when life felt safe and normal. She feels perplexed by the newly instituted “stay-home rules” and closed storefronts throughout her town, and she doesn’t fully understand why so many harmful germs are suddenly hiding in plain sight.

Throughout this illustrated story, readers will encounter depictions of school buses, kites, bicycles, zoos, silly hats, libraries, and city swimming pools, but they will also see face masks, thermometers, and isolative scenes of social distancing. I love the rhyming scheme of Dobbs’ playfully poetic text, and I think it will immediately engage little minds with notoriously short attention spans. She has written a very realistic story about curiosity, awareness, unity, and preparedness, and the featured characters are shown with an equal representation of different races and genders throughout.

I did not come across any objective grammatical errors while reading, so I do believe this book was professionally edited before publication. There were no specific aspects of the layout or storyline that I disliked, so there are no areas that warrant necessary expansion or improvement. The storybook is 23 pages long and features an entertaining About the Author section at the very end. The character of Elli Mae is intended to serve as a positive role model for young readers who may be facing similar confusing uncertainties and fears during this time of our global pandemic, and I think Dobbs effectively presents the material in an approachable way.

I felt sympathy for Ellie Mae as she began to process her feelings of vulnerability, fear, and confusion, but it warmed my heart to see the ways in which she sought to find eventual acceptance and a broad understanding of her difficult situation. As I read along, I found many passages to be particularly poignant: “Then all she saw were people’s eyes, everybody in disguise. No more smiles, no more grins, she couldn’t even see their chins.”

I feel this book would be appropriate for children between the ages of 4 and 7, and I would recommend it to classrooms or households with an appreciation for Christianity-based storybooks. There is one scene that shows Little Elli Mae praying at her bedside, asking God for guidance, strength, and protection against the virus, but this book should easily appeal to most faiths and religious belief systems. I gladly award this little book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.

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Little Elli Mae is staying safe and well so how about you?
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RetiredOBNurse · Post by **RetiredOBNurse** » 17 Mar 2022, 02:15

This book makes us all think about how covid has affected each and every one of us. As adults it’s heartbreaking to see the fear through the eyes of a child peering over the top of a mask. A book like this would definitely help children feel they are not alone and that there is hope for a future that will once again be full of happiness. Thanks for this wonderful review!

Mbenma Esther 080 · Post by **Mbenma Esther 080** » 17 Mar 2022, 02:17

This is another book I would love to keep reading. Awesome review.

AvidBibliophile · Post by **AvidBibliophile** » 17 Mar 2022, 03:34

RetiredOBNurse wrote: ↑17 Mar 2022, 02:15 This book makes us all think about how covid has affected each and every one of us. As adults it’s heartbreaking to see the fear through the eyes of a child peering over the top of a mask. A book like this would definitely help children feel they are not alone and that there is hope for a future that will once again be full of happiness. Thanks for this wonderful review!

Thank you for your kind words of understanding, empathy, and support! May a mask-free future find us all, and may books like this help kids cope with and process the tumultuous nature of so many recent events.

AvidBibliophile · Post by **AvidBibliophile** » 17 Mar 2022, 03:35

Mbenma Esther 080 wrote: ↑17 Mar 2022, 02:17 This is another book I would love to keep reading. Awesome review.

I really appreciate your feedback! Thank you for the sweet comment

Pauline Parnell · Post by **Pauline Parnell** » 17 Mar 2022, 09:04

Awesome! It's important for everyone to understand the importance of having God in our lives. He is ever-present and ever-ready to be our guiding light. Children, like Ellie, need so much reassurance due to their vulnerability and fears. As Dobbs puts it "no more smiles and no more grins". I would love to read. Thanks for your review.

Ellylion · Post by **Ellylion** » 17 Mar 2022, 09:06

I believe it's a great book to help kids process everything what happens now in the world and around us. Thank you very much for this amazing review!

Raymond N · Post by **Raymond N** » 17 Mar 2022, 15:02

Seems like a fun and easy to read story. Great review.

markodim721 · Post by **markodim721** » 17 Mar 2022, 15:47

I like the poetic text as well as the illustrations in the book. It is commendable that the book is well edited. Thanks for the good review.

thuriya albayaa · Post by **thuriya albayaa** » 18 Mar 2022, 07:56

It seems you enjoyed this short book immensely! You definitely piqued my interest and I will consider reading the book in my free time. Your review was fun and enjoyable. Thank you for the optimistic review! It left a smile on my face.

Kehinde_211 · Post by **Kehinde_211** » 21 Mar 2022, 01:48

Life hasn't been the same since the pandemic and I'm certain it took a huge toll on children too. I like this dimension to the story.

marba · Post by **marba** » 25 Mar 2022, 10:35

This seems like a great book. I looked it up, and the illustrations are beyond cute. Thank you for the review

Essy Nma · Post by **Essy Nma** » 01 Apr 2022, 06:33

Wow, having to read the Covid experience from the perspective of a child is enjoyable. Finding out the cause of his death will be an interesting one. Thanks for the review.

Honest-reviewer · Post by **Honest-reviewer** » 08 Apr 2022, 02:59

This seems to be a great book for kids, and adults too. Thanks for your wonderful review!

Elewochi · Post by **Elewochi** » 26 Apr 2022, 02:07

Thanks for a splendid review. I love this children's book. It seems to contain the right elements for children, and the storyline was perfectly constructed. Many children will definitely enjoy reading this. Kudos to the author for a job well done.