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The Flower Child / La Nina Flor Reviewed By Conny Withay of Bookpleasures.com
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Conny Withay







Reviewer Conny Withay:Operating her own business in office management since 1991, Conny is an avid reader and volunteers with the elderly playing her designed The Write Word Game. A cum laude graduate with a degree in art living in the Pacific Northwest, she is married with two sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren.

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By Conny Withay
Published on November 6, 2015
 


Author: Deborah Eve Alastra

Translator: Alejandra McGuire
Publisher: Zebra Ginkgo Group
ISBN: 978-0-9891510-1-6



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Author: Deborah Eve Alastra
Translator: Alejandra McGuire
Publisher: Zebra Ginkgo Group
ISBN: 978-0-9891510-1-6

Dashi learned that best friends might leave, but new friends will come,” Deborah Eve Alastra writes in her children’s book, The Flower Child / La Nina Flor.
               
At twenty-eight pages, this oversized hardbound targets children ages three to seven years old. With no profanity or scary scenes, it is a story about losing a friend but finding another. While English words are on the top of each colored page, the Spanish translated version is on the bottom. The watercolor illustrations are fanciful and easy to decipher. Due to some two- and three-syllable words, it would be best read out loud to beginner readers.

In this short tale, a white daisy named Dashi has a friend named Rousseau, a bright red rose. Living in the flowerbed, the two play and enjoy the sun after it rains. But one day, the rose is clipped and taken away, making Dashi sad and lonely. Her mother tells her to watch the rose bush carefully, and the flower does, day after day. After a while, a bud forms, and Rosalie becomes Dashi’s new best friend. All are happy, learning that friends may leave, but new friends come.

This is an innocuous read for children as it shows them that friendships can end, but new friends can be found. I also appreciate how it refers to flowers growing. Having the alternate translation, it aids in teaching Spanish too.

If you do not like pretend stories about flowers playing, this one is not for you or your child. Some may not appreciate having the second language translation.

Being a painter for over thirty-five years, Alastra is a children’s book illustrator and designer. Living in Oregon, she has produced her first written and illustrated book. No information is provided regarding the translator.

It would be helpful for beginner readers if the book contained shorter words and sentences so it could be used as a teaching tool.

If you are looking for a fanciful book about flowers and friendship, this is a good selection that includes both English and Spanish.

Thanks to Bookpleasures and the author for furnishing this complimentary book in exchange for a review based on the reader’s honest opinion.