Review: `Do you sometimes wish you were more like someone else?'
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 5, 2014
Michigan author Deanna Kahler holds a degree in Communication Arts from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. She comes to writing as a life fulfillment. She has been writing since a child, but it was only through the experiences of adulthood that her writing gift found direction. Her previous two successful books, `From Pain to Parenthood: A Journey Through Miscarriage to Adoption' has been a source of solace and empowerment to women and parents who have been through this journey, and her second book, `Echoes of Paradise', found a new audience - the Romance novel with very adroitly conceived and written exploration of the paranormal range of influence. And now Deanna steps into a new (or perhaps it is a return to the story forms of her very young years) genre - children's books: happily and not unexpectedly she is as successful here as in her previous two books.  She is capably partnered with artist Pennie Ellis, an art teacher at an International Baccalaureate World school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and teaching graduate students in the College of Education at Oakland University. Her background in industrial design and computer animation adds her luminous watercolor illustrations for this book.9 year old Princess Towonga has wavy golden hair and sparkling blue eyes and happily lives in Strawberria with her parents, the king and queen. Her one disappointment is that she is very tiny - smaller than the other children which her from playing their games. Being different makes her sad and she confides in her friend Celia who consoles her by telling her that everyone is different and special in their own way. Back at the castle Towonga's parents and court have discovered a magic red gem that has powers to make sick people better. But at the height of their excitement a mouse captures the little red gem and runs away with it. They try many ideas to retrieve the gem from the mouse, but all attempts are futile, until Towonga, being so small, saves the day by entering the mouse hole and retrieving the gem. Her parents are happy, the town is happy, and Towonga states, `I found out that it's awesome to be me. I don't have to be like anyone else. I discovered the value of being different. After all, no two people are exactly alike--each is like a precious, rare gem.'Written with charm and insight and with a sensitive understanding of the fears children have, Deanna (with the charming illustrations by Pennie) proves that children's book are another of her fortes. Grady Harp, May 14