As a mom, I’m always on the lookout for books that are engaging and reinforce our family values. Wendy Dunham’s new series for children, “Tales of Buttercup Grove,” is a charmingly illustrated duo of books featuring woodland characters that easily meets my goals as a parent.
In “A Windy Spring Day,” Skunk is home alone on a blustery day and has to face his fear of the wind. Calling up his friend Raccoon, his friend surmises that he might need a bit of help. When Raccoon offers to come over and to bring a surprise, Skunk readily agrees. Young readers will delight in trying to figure out what exactly the surprise is.
In “Sunflower Summer,” Raccoon stumbles across a packet of sunflower seeds while cleaning his house. Counting out the seeds inside, he decides to ask his friends to each plant one so they can celebrate summer together. Agreeing to the plan, he and his friends then must work together to plant the seeds and patiently wait for them to mature.
While each book’s storyline may seem simple on the surface, each of them dealt with more complex ideas like collaboration and patience (“Sunflower Summer”) as well as bravery, imagination, friendship, and care for others (“A Windy Spring Day”). The illustrator, Michal Sparks, has a style reminiscent of A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” books that perfectly complements the simple biblical truths embedded in the stories themselves.
My three young daughters–ages 8, 6, and 3–and I really enjoyed both of these books. They especially liked the ingenious ideas the animals had for solving problems as they worked together to plant the sunflower seeds. Great lessons, easily and enjoyably read! Both of them are a delightful addition to our home library.
You can find out more about the books on their website.
*I received an advance copy from the publisher prior to this review. The opinions therein are my own.*
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