Sunday, February 19, 2023

When Love Flows: The Beauty of Encouraging Others Book Review



Author: Sonia Amin

Illustrator: Arlenis Chirinos

Publisher: Sanasamal Press

Released: October 30, 2022

Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle

ISBN: 978-1735299686

Reviewer: Ellwyn Autumn

Rating: 4 Lemon Drops

A story overflowing with love and gratitude!




Review:

Book Summary:

Nora loves her family, her teacher, and her neighbor. So much affection is welling up inside her.

She yearns to express these feelings in words, but every time she tries to write them, her words get stuck. The precise words to show her gratitude and empathy won’t come to her. 

After a brief struggle, Nora shows emotion through sincere actions and straightforward words.

Love is patient, love is kind, love doesn’t need complicated language to be impactful.

Opinion:

You know the maxim, “Love makes the world go round.”

Amin created a character who encapsulates the joyous and unconditional love children have for the world.

Nora possesses many qualities parents and teachers strive to instill in children. She’s caring, loving, sympathetic, empathetic and a great role model.

Things I liked about the book:

The use of onomatopoeia. When Nora’s words trickled to a stop they’d, “Drip, drip, drop!” A wonderful attention grabber for a child!

It was also nice to see a character overcome a common dilemma we’ve all faced in our lives, staring at a blank piece of paper after struggling to find the right words to communicate our feelings.

At times, they wrote words like water droplets or in unconventional lines or spirals. What a fun way to read!

There's even a brownie recipe at the end to share with friends and family.

Chirinos’ illustrations are bright and colorful with a splash of lighthearted fun. They complement the story perfectly.

I give it 4 Lemon Drops!



Classroom Connection:

Age Range: The author’s target audience is ages 4-11. 

Targeted Vocabulary: burble, compassion, encourage, erupt, gaze, geyser, gush, muddled, ripple, trickle

The author has a glossary of these words at the end of the book.

As an early childhood teacher, I am always searching for books to supplement my social/emotional lessons.

When Love Flows is a great resource when discussing frustration tolerance, appropriate behavior, and kindness. 

This book could also preface a letter writing activity. Students can write encouraging notes to classmates or family members.

Building on Nora's struggle to find the right words, encourage children to make a list of positive phrases or kind words to use in their writing.

I would definitely add this to my classroom library.

Resources:

https://www.pinterest.com/ellwynautumn/socialemotional-strategies/

About The Author:



Sonia Amin is a wife, mother, and pharmacist who loves encouraging others with her words, hugs, and prayers.

She is passionate about helping others live healthy lives and believes being healthy is not just about physical well-being.

Her debut book, Bax and His Bubbles, offers a method using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help kids foster healthy thinking habits, while her newest book, When Love Flows, helps children understand the power of an encouraging word.

No comments:

Post a Comment