Author:
Verena Zannantoni
Illustrator:
Hank van der Gugten
Publisher:
Marvelous Minds Press
Released:
November 20, 2023
Format:
Hardcover, Paperback
ISBN:
979-8-9891604-1-9
Reviewer:
Ellwyn Autumn
Rating: 3
Lemon Drops
A
great story about the value of learning to follow directions, taking your time,
and understanding that everyone’s actions have consequences.
I
received a complimentary copy of the book from Reedsy and agreed to give an
honest review.
Review:
Book Summary:
Helma is
bursting with excitement to start her rescue missions and prove she's the best.
Regrettably, Helma encounters difficulty in following her instructor Bernie's directions and narrowly avoids disaster multiple times.
In the end, Helma understands the significance of taking time and listening to experienced individuals.
Opinion:
What’s the Hurry, Helma? Choppy Rescue Missions in Italy is a story that will resonate with many young children.
Like most youngsters, Helma, the main character, possesses a spontaneous nature and a strong desire to assist.
Additionally, she aims to
prove her capability in accomplishing tasks similar to a more seasoned rescue
helicopter.
As the story
moves along, Helma’s intense focus on the rescue missions causes her to
completely disregard the direct instructions from her teacher. This is
something that many kids are notorious for.
Helma
teaches children important lessons like patience, obedience, attentiveness,
self-restraint, and understanding consequences.
A perfect cause-and-effect scenario occurs during a mission to save Bella the
Cat.
Bernie asks for more time to buckle Bella in, but Helma ignores his call. In consequence, Bella the Cat drops.
Fortunately, she doesn’t get hurt after
landing in a bed of croissants.
This is the perfect opportunity for parents and teachers to talk about the consequences of our actions.
What was the reason for Bella's fall? Helma's lack of
attentiveness to Bernie led to this. Bella's accident happened because Helma
didn't listen. The effect was Bella falling into a bed of croissants.
I enjoyed
van der Gugten’s colorful illustrations. They added a lot of pep and humor to
the story.
With that said, there are two aspects that could make the story better. Adding a section on the history of Bernese Mountain Dogs would benefit the readers'
understanding of this lovable breed.
A few verses were overly wordy and could benefit from revision.
I give it 3
1/2 Lemon Drops!
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Classroom Connection:
A
classroom theme on transportation or Italy would benefit from incorporating What’s
the Hurry, Helma? Choppy Rescue Missions in Italy, while also teaching
lessons on impulse control, cause-and-effect, the value of taking your time,
and following directions.
Age Range: The author recommends 3-5 years.
Targeted Vocabulary:
safety, wreck, inspection, croissant, cheeky, pounces, hovering,
ignore
Resources:
Italy Unit Study {Free Sample} by Simple Living Creative Learning (teacherspayteachers.com)
FREE - Italy Map Outline by The Harstad Collection | TPT (teacherspayteachers.com)
FREE - Italy - 4 Posters by The Harstad Collection | TPT (teacherspayteachers.com)
About The Author:
Growing up surrounded by the tall mountains of northern Italy, Verena fell in love with reading at an early age.
The young bookworm wiggled her way through so many stories at her local
library that one year she even set a record for borrowing the most books.
Though she's lived, worked,
and studied in Germany, Australia and the US, her enduring love for
storytelling and her birthplace has remained unwavering.
This mom to two
helicopter-obsessed boys has now put pen to paper and written her first
children’s book: What’s the Hurry, Helma? Choppy Rescue Adventures in Italy.
Fueled by nostalgia and as a
way to revisit Verena’s childhood upbringing, the book takes place in South
Tyrol.
This Italian region is known
for its stunning natural beauty, and the mountains and lakes provide the
perfect backdrop for Helma’s first day as a rescue helicopter.
Her whirlwind adventures are
depicted in an entertaining way, whilst also teaching kids the value of slowing
down and listening to others.
About the Illustrator:
At the moment Henk is a musical creative teacher at an MBO. But for as long as he can remember, he’s been drawing.
His first drawing memories is, that in
kindergarten he made a drawing in his workbook.
But because he couldn't stop, he filled his entire book in one morning. When he was done, he proudly walked to the teacher to show her his drawings.
But instead of them being his one compliment, he got hit on
the head. He wasn't supposed to make so many drawings.
He’s
actually still that little boy who just wants to draw.
In
addition to his work as a teacher, he has been working as an independent
illustrator since October 2018.
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