Carly is a little girl who takes care of a farm in Oklahoma called the 'Five Mile Farm'. She lives on the farm together with her pets and other animals. She also has made friends with bees who stay in a hive not far from the farm. Occasionally, she goes to tell her wishes to the bees who would in turn tell the queen bee.
Carly had always wished to have a pony, so she went and told the bees her wishes. Upon hearing Carly's wish, the queen bee sends a bee called Journey. Journey then travels over long distances across the land to look for a pony that they would give Carly. He, however, doesn't find a pony. He only finds a lonely llama called Charly. Will Charly be a perfect fit for Carly?
The above excerpt from the first page of Five Mile Charlie by Kimberly Adams, I think, is the most valuable lesson that children will learn from this children's book. Carly and Charly never lost hope that one day they would achieve their dreams. They continued holding to their wishes no matter how unrealistic they were. Another lesson I loved from the book is that we should be kind, and we should love and care for everyone no matter how cruel they may seem. There is a coyote called Grumps that every animal fears. However, he loves being alone because he thinks that everyone hates him. Carly seeks to show Grumps that she can be his friend."Follow your dreams and wishes. They come true for those who work hard for them. Believe in what you can do and don’t forget to be kind along the way."
What fascinates me the most was the touch of children's fantasy present in the book. We encounter bunnies, birds, bees, and other animals who have been personified in the story. Children will love this because it is something that relates to their imaginations and fantasies.
There is not any negative thing to point out except that there is a cliffhanger in the book. We aren't told whether Grumps made friends with Carly or whether he changed his attitude and perspective about everyone. This is not a big deal since it aids in creating suspense, and it may be a precedence for a future book—I do wish there is another book because I want to know what happened.
The book is written well and perfectly edited; I didn't spot any errors. Even though there is an unresolved cliffhanger, the book has wonderful lessons, and I loved its fantasy. Because of this, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
I would recommend this book to children of around five to nine years who may be interested in tales filled with fantasy.
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Five Mile Charlie
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