Book Review of Emma’s Sunflower
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The Children’s Book Review
Emma’s Sunflower
Written by Phillipa Warden
Illustrated by Grace Ward
Ages 3-5 | 36 Pages
Publisher: Purple Butterfly Press | ISBN-13: 9781955119238
What to Expect: Nature, birds, seasons, colors, counting, dyslexia-friendly
Emma loves watching the birds through her window, feeding at the bird feeder. Her favorite is a greenfinch named Flash because of the lightning bolt on his back. However, one autumn, a crow attacks the bird feeder, spilling the seeds on the ground and frightening away the finches. Emma is sad, but there is lots more to see in her garden as autumn turns to winter and then thaws to a sunny spring. Then, in the summer sunshine, Emma gets a surprise: the spilled seeds have blossomed into beautiful sunflowers, tempting the finches back just in time for Emma’s birthday!
Readers who loved Rupert’s Snowman are sure to love this new offering from Phillipa Warden. Emma’s Sunflower is a story about nature, seasons, and growth, but there is also a more profound message hidden within the story, about impermanence: just like the crow and the finches, no change – whether good or bad – is ever forever. The story is written in simple, accessible, lyrical language, accompanied by colorful illustrations with a child-like charm. The book contains several activity suggestions at the end that keep the fun going.
Emma’s Sunflower is a gentle and thought-provoking story, perfect for shared reading and sure to lead to interesting discussions.
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About the Author
Phillipa is the creator of Rupert’s Snowman, a much loved festive tale based on a true story about the time her son refused to leave his snowman behind after a snow day.
She studied Creative Short Story Writing at the Cambridge University ICE and has an MA from The Royal College of Art.
Emma’s Sunflower was inspired by her daughter after she was playfully accused of favoritism towards her son!
About the Illustrator
Grace Ward, the illustrator of Emma’s Sunflower and Rupert’s Snowman is dyslexic and she chose a font called Open Dyslexic to tell her stories.
The unique shape of each letter can help prevent confusion through flipping and swapping letters because they have a heavier bottom.
The dyslexic reader will be able to quickly work out which part of the word is down and this aids in recognizing the correct letter.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored, non-biased review of Emma’s Sunflower. Learn more about getting a book review …
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