Lady Flatterley, written by Linda Wagner and illustrated by Pearl L. Ollie, is a story about a caterpillar who wants to be a butterfly. The narrative chronicles the life cycle of the butterfly. Lady Flatterley wants to fly, like a butterfly she sees flying by. The butterfly tells her she will soon build a cocoon for herself and then, in time, become a butterfly. This pleases Lady Flatterley as her greatest desire is to fly.
The story is written in rhyme. The rhyme scheme is off in several places, giving it an awkward rhythm. The story would have been stronger if it were written in standard format.
However, the illustrations are delightful. As mentioned on a special “In Recognition” page at the beginning of the book, although Pearl L. Ollie did the drawings, Jerry Hanzl, a digital photographer, created realistic backgrounds for the artwork. The combination is visually appealing and should delight readers both young and old alike.
What I Like: I really like the illustrations. I also like the fact that the author makes a special point to thank the illustrator and the graphic artist in a special section at the front of the book.
And, I like the fact that the author includes God and the idea of creation in the storyline, making this a Christian children’s picture book.
What I Dislike: Unfortunately, the story of a “caterpillar wanting to be a butterfly” is overdone. This rendition does not really offer anything new except put a Christian perspective on the process.
Overall Rating: Good.
Age Appeal: The publisher suggests 9-12 as the age group for this book. I believe a more appropriate age group would be 4-8.
Publisher Info: Outskirts Press, 2008; ISBN: 1432732331; Paperback: $22.95.
3 comments:
Christine
Thank you for your honest review. I worked very hard on making sure that the story rhymed. I sought the guidance of several writers before submitting it for publication.
I am a creationist and I am not ashamed of portraying that in my writing.
Maybe it would have been better to write it in a narrative format, but everyone has their own way of writing. This was my very first book and I see now here I would not repeat many things that I did with this book. We all live and learn.
The age that I submitted to the publishing company was 5-8 years of age, not 9-12. That was their evaluation. On my press release, it didn’t even give the age group other then the genre, being -children’s. Where the ages of 9-12 came from is boggling to me. Second, the pricing of the book was extreme and not what I wanted. There were many injustices that were done with this book and because of that, I will never use that publishing company again.
What is my greatest concern on your blog is on the section that says Special Info, visit the author’s web site is incorrect. That is not my web site address. I am not that Linda Wagner. Please make sure you have the correct person's web site address before publicizing it on your blog. Your review of my writing isn't doing her justice. Just because we have the same name doesn't mean we are the same person. She doesn't deserve this review connected to her site.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for visiting our sight and thanks for your comments about your book. I apologize for the mixup about the author's website (under "Special Info"). However, you will notice that link has been removed from my review. Please come back and visit us again soon.
Christine
P.S. I meant "site" not "sight."
Christine
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