Lady Emma in Her Land of Wonder by Martha M. Harrison

HI there!

Welcome back to the Friday edition of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers....the place where as the weekend approaches we prepare not to slow down and take it easy, but to get busy, READING that is!

Today, we're stepping into the land of Storybooks for a tale that's...well, hard to explain.  It actually took me TWO read throughs miles apart to draw the lessons of the story out and connect the pieces I couldn't quite fit.  Now the cover?  That's an ENTIRELY different story.  Readers and appreciate-tors of the bookish things in life, allow me to introduce today's book of choice....

Lady Emma in Her Land of Wonder

by

Martha M. Harrison

Based on the original story by

Jennifer Harrison

97819413217047

Incanto Press

I firmly believe that while I want everyone to fall madly in love with every book they meet....that's just not a reality.  NOT EVERY BOOK IS FOR EVERY READER.  There...I've said it.  This one, sadly enough was one of those for me.

I ADORE the cover....really truly and earnestly want to climb right into that magical realm Lady Emma is peering at through the window.  The cat is simply ADORABLE.  The hedgehog so CUTE.  The colors are vivid and carry forward as you open the cover and turn page after page.  The visual specs take a small detour when dealing with faces, but overall it still works.  Now, as for the story....

The rhyming scheme for me was a bit forced.  Some parts really didn't mesh well nor did they make sense as the only option for the tale to be told.  The tale itself felt like it left readers grasping for the message in lieu of putting it out there for you.  In all honesty, I read it when it first arrived and then placed it aside because at that moment....I'm not quite sure how my review would have turned out.  It's not that I wanted it to grow into something more, I just wanted my appreciation for the book to have time to sort itself out before making a final judgment call.  I'm glad I did because although I said I'm not necessarily its biggest fan, I can now sorta see upon that second read through what the author was perhaps aiming for.

Author Martha M. Harrison

It seems to this reader that the author is imparting a "can do" attitude to little ones that take on Lady Emma's story.  Throughout her stumbles and falls, she picks herself back up again and figures things out.  It speaks to her strong male role models along the way (her father, and then the prince) and how they supported her in lieu of actuall doing everything for her.  It talks about building character and let's you know that Lady Emma believes in you as well for she's only doing JUST what you would be doing if the situation was reversed.  In the end, it's a stretch.  I feel the visuals will draw in many, but the story may take some time.  It doesn't mean it doesn't have merit....it just means it needs the right audience.

Review copy received courtesy of Bostick Communications and Incanto Press.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, be sure to stop by the publisher's site. 

Until next time...happy reading!