Review: SPREADING THE WORD
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 29, 2013
This is the third in a series of books relating the adventures of two sisters named Sunny and Starlight. I must confess that I have not yet read the first two books. In this book, Starlight is afraid to go to school because she feels that she is not fitting in. Her wise mother tells her that she and her sister have been taught to be themselves so they should be proud of who they are. The girls dress like princesses and go off to school. They stay close to those who are positive in outlook and avoid negative situations. Starlight chastises a group of children who are making fun of another child. By spreading her positive vibes and example, she makes a new friend. The girls learn that you must not only be positive in outlook but use positive actions as well. At the end of the story, there are a list of questions to guide children in using the story lessons and applying them to their everyday situations.I applaud the basic premise of the story. If more children were positive in attitude and actions, there certainly would be fewer problems. The author targets these books for ages 4-8. I think that younger children will need a lot of adult guidance in understanding the text. Language and sentence structure will not be understood by a young independent reader. Illustrations do assist in understanding, but they are very busy for a younger child to follow. I would recommend that a parent or teacher preview the book first before reading and be prepared for questions and explanations about content.