Review of Penelope Sherbanne
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Fola Moni
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Review of Penelope Sherbanne
[Following is a volunteer review of "Penelope Sherbanne" by Susan Uriarte.]
Delightful is what readily comes to mind when reading Penelope Sherbanne by Susan Uriarte. The moral lessons, captivating writing and colourful characters all come beautifully wrapped in this gift of a children’s book.
Penelope is a well-loved child who lives with her parents, Mr Sherbanne, a supervisor in the city of Olliswell Transportation Department and Mrs Sherbanne, a charitable woman who loves visiting the elderly. They taught Penelope the importance of good morals and how to live by the ‘Golden Rule’, which is ‘treat others the way you want others to treat you; with kindness, care, courtesy, love and respect.'
Penelope grew up by this golden rule but later became naughty and rude. Soon, she was getting into trouble for misbehaving in school. One day, she roughly pushed Ursula Pane, the class bully, to the ground, and her teacher sent her to the principal’s office. Sensing that she has finally overdone it, Penelope was beside herself with fear. Will she be punished? What will her parents say when they find out? How can she stop misbehaving? She’s about to find out in a big way that it really pays to be a good girl.
This children’s book ticks all the boxes necessary to keep those curious little minds enthralled until the last page. Top kudos to the author for the brilliant concept and the moral lessons. The writing style is narrative and descriptive simultaneously, grabbing and holding the reader’s attention. The scenes are easy to picture vividly, which is necessary for little children to understand and learn.
I also love the play on words with the characters. Names like Worrya, Stressa and Rusha are hilarious, but they play a vital message in communicating the right message to little children. The importance of doing the right thing and treating others with courtesy, kindness, respect, etc., cannot be overemphasized. A child's formative years are the crucial time to teach them these morals so they can become fine, upstanding citizens.
However, I did have two issues with the book. I encountered some errors that affected my reading experience a little. I also believe the illustrations could have been more colourful because kids are fascinated by colours.
Hence, I would rate the book 3 out of 4 stars only because of these two issues. Otherwise, it was a marvellous read. I finished it in one go and thoroughly enjoyed it and the message it represented. As mentioned earlier, it could do with another round of professional editing. The book is wonderfully devoid of anything that would be termed adult-themed, so I can happily recommend it to children aged 4-9 years. I know they will enjoy it tremendously. More importantly, they will learn from the important lesson it conveys.
******
Penelope Sherbanne
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Delightful is what readily comes to mind when reading Penelope Sherbanne by Susan Uriarte. The moral lessons, captivating writing and colourful characters all come beautifully wrapped in this gift of a children’s book.
Penelope is a well-loved child who lives with her parents, Mr Sherbanne, a supervisor in the city of Olliswell Transportation Department and Mrs Sherbanne, a charitable woman who loves visiting the elderly. They taught Penelope the importance of good morals and how to live by the ‘Golden Rule’, which is ‘treat others the way you want others to treat you; with kindness, care, courtesy, love and respect.'
Penelope grew up by this golden rule but later became naughty and rude. Soon, she was getting into trouble for misbehaving in school. One day, she roughly pushed Ursula Pane, the class bully, to the ground, and her teacher sent her to the principal’s office. Sensing that she has finally overdone it, Penelope was beside herself with fear. Will she be punished? What will her parents say when they find out? How can she stop misbehaving? She’s about to find out in a big way that it really pays to be a good girl.
This children’s book ticks all the boxes necessary to keep those curious little minds enthralled until the last page. Top kudos to the author for the brilliant concept and the moral lessons. The writing style is narrative and descriptive simultaneously, grabbing and holding the reader’s attention. The scenes are easy to picture vividly, which is necessary for little children to understand and learn.
I also love the play on words with the characters. Names like Worrya, Stressa and Rusha are hilarious, but they play a vital message in communicating the right message to little children. The importance of doing the right thing and treating others with courtesy, kindness, respect, etc., cannot be overemphasized. A child's formative years are the crucial time to teach them these morals so they can become fine, upstanding citizens.
However, I did have two issues with the book. I encountered some errors that affected my reading experience a little. I also believe the illustrations could have been more colourful because kids are fascinated by colours.
Hence, I would rate the book 3 out of 4 stars only because of these two issues. Otherwise, it was a marvellous read. I finished it in one go and thoroughly enjoyed it and the message it represented. As mentioned earlier, it could do with another round of professional editing. The book is wonderfully devoid of anything that would be termed adult-themed, so I can happily recommend it to children aged 4-9 years. I know they will enjoy it tremendously. More importantly, they will learn from the important lesson it conveys.
******
Penelope Sherbanne
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Moonlight Serenade by Terry Mark
