As Halloween neared, Lisa Sferlazza Johnson and Tucker Johnson sought to find a way to explain the holiday to their young daughter. They wanted to celebrate the occasion but without all of the emphasis on the sweet treats. They soon realized finding books to help their daughter make sense out of various holidays was incredibly difficult. So they set out to create something themselves. That’s when Eve, the little fairy with a bright smile and a big heart was born.
So far, Eve’s adventures have included All Hallows Eve: The Story of the Halloween Fairy, Winter’s Eve: Love and Lights, and Christmas Eve: The Joy of Giving. (Books for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter are now in the works.)
Twelve bloggers thus far have reviewed what one blogger described as “beautiful books about Halloween, Christmas and various other winter holidays will delight as well as educate kids both young and old.”
Reviewers big and small were charmed by the adorable Eve. “Laurel loves these books - although I suspect that the fact that they are about holidays and fairies probably is a major draw,” said one reviewer. Another found Eve “was delightful and kind and good and just what we needed during a rocky month.”
In All Hallows Eve, the little fairy celebrates her birthday on Hallows Eve and is “a reinforcement that it is about sharing, not just guzzling sweets.” Bloggers found this to be a breath of fresh air: “I enjoyed the way Eve decided to exchange candy for toys at the end of the book. I myself have previously bribed my sons with toys for candy and I felt like this book would lend itself to me embracing the idea of a Halloween fairy for whom the boys would leave candy to find toys in their place.”
The second book, Christmas Eve, weaves a story that includes appearances from both Santa and Jesus. As with the other books, the tale’s focus is on love, caring and giving. “I loved how Santa and Jesus are both talked about instead of one or the other. This is important to me! His birth is discussed and the fact that we should be getting into the joy of giving at Christmastime. It was very heart-warming.”
One parent mentioned, “When I choose books that deal or touch upon religion for my children I like it very much when more than one view is represented. These books do this in a light and happy tone.”
Winter’s Eve covers quite a bit of cultural ground. “There is the celebration of everything from Diwali to Chinese New Year and Eve learns that each tradition is filled with love.” Another blogger adds, “I’m always looking for insight into other people’s customs and holiday celebrations, and I find most things out through my daughter’s books. This one describes the many winter festivals of light, and all are given gracefully equal weight. I love how all of them are brought together without preference, how all are valued for what they contribute to the world.”
One blogger felt the author’s approach to the diversity within Winter’s Eve introduces “differences in a way that leaves you wanting to know more.” Another expressed an aspect she found of great importance to her: ”the stories offered a lot of room for discussion.”
But another reviewer felt some of the content within Winter’s Eve felt misplaced. “For example, while I found the fact that Diwali’s history involved a princess being kidnapped by a demon fascinating, I wasn’t comfortable with sharing that level of detail with my three and a half year old daughter. I think the Winter book may be better suited for older children, personally.” (The tales are aimed at kids ages three to eight.)
The ”gorgeous and colourful” illustrations that bring Eve to life were a huge hit: “I could tell from the way [my daughter's] eyes darted back and forth over the pages in a continuous assessment that she found a lot to like in the illustrations,” writes one blogger. All three stories are told in an anapaestic rhyme scheme and metre (think “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas“). While our bloggers thought this was “an absolutely wonderful concept”, a few felt there were times when the rhyming “feels a bit forced.”
By and large, many of our reviewers loved the fact that the books strive to teach caring, kindness and friendship and do so while capturing the imagination of youngster. “My four year old is fascinated, and we’ve read this several times already.”
All Hallows Eve, Christmas Eve and Winter’s Eve are published by Positive Spin Press. We’ve got more bloggers weighing in on the book within the next few weeks. Find out what they have to say too!
Mon 12/1 - APISS
Tues 12/2 - Radioactive Girl
Wed 12/3 - Musings of a Housewife
Thurs 12/4 - The Green Parent
Fri 12/5 - Mummy’s Product Reviews
Mon 12/8 - Bananas and Toddlers
Tues 12/9 - Mayberry Mom
Wed 12/10 - Crazy Momcat
Thurs 12/11 - Midwestern Mommy
Mon 12/15 - Round-Up Review on PBN
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Tags: Books, Christmas, fairy books, Halloween, holiday books, kids books
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