The Carousel

I love this story, and the pictures, too, but what I like most is the sense of lingering influence of a Mother who taught her children with love, and the confidence her memory gives them to handle things on their own. This is skillfully done with only very subtle reference to the fact that the mother is not there, which would be very sad for the audience the book was intended for.

The illustrations of this book are outstanding. It resembles those of Harry Potter. I was most impressed with the story's poetic rhythm. The author makes use of strong analogies that allow young readers to truly put themselves in the young girls places as they manipulate the carousel on a magical adventure. The story leaves readers wondering and interpreting the author's intention for the characters mother. Students in K-5 will enjoy writing other adventures that the carousel horses may encounter or other adventures that the girls may have with their mother's tools. Great book!