Review: Mishan's Garden by James Vollbracht

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

In a village high above the clouds, where nobody’s happy and nothing grows, a little girl dreams of a garden flourishing behind her father’s house. Every day the cynical villagers watch and mock the little girl. But, watered with her kindness and patience, the garden eventually yields the most important fruit: the restored hope and happiness of the entire village. Perhaps the greatest gift you can ever give another is to hold them in the highest regard and to see what is best and unique about them. In Mishan’s Garden, a little girl sees all that is good and beautiful in the hearts of everyone around her and thereby transforms the lives of her entire village.

MY TAKE:
While there are plenty of books that have the same message as this one, this book still has something special.

In Mishan's Garden, Mishan is a young girl who is hopeful and sees the good in everyone. Through her words, she is able to make positive changes in her village.

Reading about how Mishan interacts with her neighbors and turns them from bad to good simply by highlighting what's good about them and how they make a difference in other people's lives.

Since the book is set during an older time, the dialogue is a little flowery and almost old-fashioned. It's still easy to see, though, what Mishan means. Not a lot of people can say Mishan said anyway. Sometimes it's easier to ignore them and not say anything at all. However, Mishan does the noble thing and makes her village a better place.

The illustration style was not necessarily to my taste, but I really liked the rendering. It looks a little bit like it was done using watercolor pencils. The shading is quite nice and makes the drawings more realistic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wisdom Publications for the e-ARC. Publication date of Mishan's Garden is on October 15, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. The rendering is pretty.
2. Mishan sets a good example for kids.
3. The story has a good message.

THE BAD:

1. The illustration style might not work for everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

"Even the milk from their yaks tastes especially sweet!"

READ IT IF:

1. You want to encourage your child to be kind to others.
2. You believe in the power of kind words.
3. You are looking for a book that has a positive message.

RATING:


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