Review: Payah

Title: Payah

Author: Margaret H. L. Lim

Illustrator: Su Jen Buchheim

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Pages: 32

ISBN: 983-42638-0-5

Publisher: Fairy Bird Children’s Books (2005) – Kuching, Sarawak

The story begins with Payah and her grandmother Uku, looking for goods in the market. Payah is an impetuous eight-year old girl from an indigenous group called "Kayans", whose home is deep in the interior of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. She has a very soft heart for small helpless creatures. Deep in the rainforest of Sarawak, Malaysia, Payah rescues a hornbill (named Kenyi) and a mouse deer, and takes care of a baby Orang-Utan who was named Sammy by her. The book does a great job of sharing the value of culture with a wonderful glossary at the beginning of the book to help one make sense of all the terms but the ending should be more valuable and give clear message in educating children about the value of kindness towards animals and preservation.

Review: A Bridge of Children’s Books

Title: A Bridge of Children’s Books - The Inspiring Autobiography of a Remarkable Woman

Author: Jella Lepman

Pages: 168

ISBN: 978-0862787837

Publisher: O'Brien Press; New Ed edition (August 27, 2002) – in connection with IBBY Ireland

This book is a profound insight into the thinking of a remarkable woman. It is a fascinating autobiography of Jella Lepman, who left Germany to escape the Nazis in 1930. She returns to Germany after World War 2 as "Advisor on the Cultural and Educational Needs of Women and Children". She establishes the International Youth Library in Munich, the largest and oldest collection of children's books from around the world and also founded the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the largest international organization of children's book advocacy. The book inspired me to read about how one woman accomplished so much for children and international literature around the world. I love the way the autobiography was written and the black and white pictures add excitement to the book.

Review : The Gift of The Lady Bug

Title: The Gift of the Ladybug

Author: Carole M. Amber

Illustrator: Evi Shelvia

Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-0-615-58094-4

Publisher: Ladybug Publishing

The Gift of The Ladybug is a magical story of love, joy, and acceptance through the eyes of two horses that learn their son is actually a handsome little ladybug. Personally, I think the author of this book has it owns creativity in expressing her love towards her son TJ and her darkest moment where her son TJ passed away at fourteen months old due to complications from Leigh syndrome. There are many ways in expressing emotions, the facts that the author chooses horses and ladybug as her characters are to make the children understand different type of emotions.