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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I originally rated this four stars, but I don't remember why I liked it. The book is so unnecessarily wordy that I found myself skimming, and I don't like how the font sizes vary wildly for different words. The story itself is fine, but it drags on too long, and it didn't do anything for me this time around. I almost wonder if the reason why I rated it so high to begin with is just because I was pleasantly surprised that there was no male-bashing in a book about female empowerment, but that is not a sufficient reason to give a book four stars.
Don't you love it when a story continually pleasantly surprises you? And with a picture book... that's no easy feat!
This story will encourage young ones not only to not be afraid to get their hands dirty, but that they can create the extraordinary- however ordinary they may feel.
Beautiful and fun illustrations work to perfection with this story... that doesn't end where you think it will! Huzzah for Bloom AND Genevieve!
This story will encourage young ones not only to not be afraid to get their hands dirty, but that they can create the extraordinary- however ordinary they may feel.
Beautiful and fun illustrations work to perfection with this story... that doesn't end where you think it will! Huzzah for Bloom AND Genevieve!
I love seeing longer picture books like Bloom - a sort of modern fairy tale, and I'm partial to Small's illustrations. They're well-suited to the story, with some great details that extend the story (body language, clothing, etc). I love the practicality of the magic (is there even magic in the story? I'm not sure) and the "no such thing as an ordinary girl" message.
May 2016 - a bit long for Ben (he flipped through some pages before I was done reading) but he enjoyed the mud and the bugs.
May 2016 - a bit long for Ben (he flipped through some pages before I was done reading) but he enjoyed the mud and the bugs.
A fairy tale about how an ordinary girl gained magic from a fairy. A very long story.
Who says fairies have to be tiny and delicate? We've all seen "Maleficent," after all. But Bloom isn't that kind of fairy either; no horns, no darkly sinister appearance. Bloom is a powerful fairy that can make wonderful transformations, but she also leaves cracks and mud in her footsteps. And like most wonderful creatures, she eventually is taken for granted by the people who have profited from her magic. When Bloom decides to live in the forest, they are glad to see her go. Well...they are glad until the kingdom begins to fall apart and even the wonders of duct tape can't hold it together much longer. After the king and the queen both fail to find the magical creature and bring her back to save the kingdom, they decide to send someone ordinary instead. Genevieve, the smallest and quietest person in the kingdom is sent into the forest. And Bloom does what she does best, transforms her. The message that is carried back to the castle is perfect, "There is no such thing as an ordinary girl." Perfect book for celebrating girl power!
There is so much about this book to love. Doreen Cronin has a knack for writing stories that readers will return to again and again. David Small's illustrations are enchanting; I especially like the way the watercolors capture the translucent glass castle. The text adds to the fun by changing font and size to emphasize words like mud, beetles, and dirt. When the king addresses Bloom, his words begin with a very gothic letter "I." And the queen's speech begins with an "I" done in lots of flourishes and curlicues. Genevieve's words are in a tiny font to match her tiny voice. (Tiny at first, anyway - but that changes after her return from the forest.)
Besides its message of girl power, there are many other things that readers can learn from this story. There is the idea that everyone, no matter their age or size, can do something important. There is the persistence that Genevieve displays when it takes her 17 attempts to make a perfect brick. And there is the wonderful tie-in to making, with Bloom turning sand to spun glass and mud into bricks. It may be a book that centers on female characters, but everyone will be delighted by it.
There is so much about this book to love. Doreen Cronin has a knack for writing stories that readers will return to again and again. David Small's illustrations are enchanting; I especially like the way the watercolors capture the translucent glass castle. The text adds to the fun by changing font and size to emphasize words like mud, beetles, and dirt. When the king addresses Bloom, his words begin with a very gothic letter "I." And the queen's speech begins with an "I" done in lots of flourishes and curlicues. Genevieve's words are in a tiny font to match her tiny voice. (Tiny at first, anyway - but that changes after her return from the forest.)
Besides its message of girl power, there are many other things that readers can learn from this story. There is the idea that everyone, no matter their age or size, can do something important. There is the persistence that Genevieve displays when it takes her 17 attempts to make a perfect brick. And there is the wonderful tie-in to making, with Bloom turning sand to spun glass and mud into bricks. It may be a book that centers on female characters, but everyone will be delighted by it.
This story charmed me more than I expected. I appreciated the strong female characters and that the solution was not magic but hard work. I enjoyed the illustrations and the mix of fonts. What kept this from 5 stars was the overall whiteness of the characters and that, as another reviewer pointed out, the book is heavily geared towards girls. The former ignores the amazing diversity of people and characters that exist in the real world and the later misses out on delivering an empowering message to boys bc of the pointed and specific phrasing "there is no such thing as an ordinary girl". Great message but change girl to kid or person and you include everyone in the other great messages of the story as well
