4 out of 4 stars
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Prince Oliver Penguin and His Friend, Olivia by Shirley Read-Jahn is a children’s book written for kids between the ages of five and seven. In the story, Olivia and her family move from England to the Falkland Islands for her father’s work. When she gets there, she meets a king penguin. This king penguin comes to her house to see her so often that he eventually becomes her pet. She names him Prince Oliver. The two are inseparable and will be friends forever. Or will they? You’ll have to read this tale that was inspired by a true story to find out.
I really enjoyed this book. The pictures throughout the book were cute and really matched the story. They helped move the book along. I think any child that reads this book will enjoy the images. I was also impressed that the author did all of the illustrations herself. If this is pointed out to the kids that read it, I think it could definitely be inspiring for them!
Not only were the pictures great, this book was also very well-written. I only noticed a couple of minor errors within the book. I really appreciate that the author took the time to make sure that the writing was edited. The story also flowed nicely and was written at the perfect level for the intended age group. Well-written books are so important for children to read since they are at a critical stage of learning. This author really did a great job with the writing.
The only aspect I could possibly see kids having trouble with when reading the book is the formatting of the pictures. They are interspersed fairly randomly throughout the story instead of having a picture on each page. However, I think if it is explained to children that this is a book with pictures not necessarily a picture book, any problem with it could be avoided. Because of the formatting, the book could also be used to transition children into books that don’t have pictures.
I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. The only issue I saw with the book wasn’t enough to take away a star. The story was cute and well-written. I would not hesitate to hand this to my Godchildren to read, and I tend to be picky about which books I’ll actually read with them. I would recommend this book to anyone with children or to any adult who just wants a cute short story to read. I can’t think of a single person who wouldn’t enjoy this book.
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Prince Oliver Penguin and his Friend, Olivia
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