The Frightened Little Flower Bud
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Please note: This is a British spelling version. American spelling version ISBN is 978-0993509841. The story begins with a seed landing in a pretty garden where it starts to grow and eventually forms a little flower bud. But, the little flower bud becomes frightened of things that she 'hears on the wind'; such as the sun that might scorch its petals, the rain that might spoil them, the wind that might blow them away - so the flower doesn't want to bloom. However, all flowers must bloom, and as the little flower bud opens her petals she overcomes her fears one by one. The more we think about our fears, the more they overwhelm us. This book teaches children (of all ages) that fear is just a feeling that holds them back from living their lives to the full. To add to the fun and develop observational skills there's a 'Did You See' activity page at the back with objects from the book that children may not have noticed whilst reading it. There are also some simple questions that can be asked of children, encouraging them to think about what they've read. The skill level required is 'easy'.
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UPDATE: The feedback from the children and the parents of my elementary classes has been overwhelming, therefore we can safely say that this book has been officially approved and loved by the persons of interest, that is the children themselves:)
What a gloriously beautiful book! It reminds me of the ones we used to have when we were children, in a time that was much more innocent, less dangerous. When it was easy for the parents and the teachers to communicate the love for reading since there were no mobile phones, no bloody idiotic Facebook, no ‘'teen'' programmes that manipulated the children to behave as spoiled adults before their time. Back then, we didn't need fancy page material or gore and princesses painted to look like vampires. We needed books that were simple enough for a child to understand and with a message (as old-fashioned as it may sound) for the adult to convey.
‘'The Frightened Little Flower Bud'' deals with a crucial worry of ours, the fear of letting our children develop themselves freely, because we either want them to do exactly as we do or because we don't want them to be hurt or disappointed. The anxiety that comes when our child is a bit more introverted than we'd want and as a teacher, I've often seen this worry on many parents' eyes. With simple and beautiful texts, Renée shows that the bud takes its own risks no matter the circumstances and, many times, out of a negative, contradictory situation something positive occurs. The symbolism is poignant and couldn't be more relevant to our current times, when parents and teachers are plagued with all kinds of fears and uncertainties over our children's future. The illustrations inspired by the flaura and fauna of County Leitrim in Ireland are stunning. The post-reading activities are easy and useful for engaging the children, developing their thoughts on the subject and sharpening their observation skills.
As a teacher, I usually choose children's books to further familiarise my students with the main texts and try to develop their reading comprehension skills as much as possible. This is a book that can be used in class and become an exciting process for both teachers and students. It provides food for thought not only for our young ones, but for us adults as well, over the issues of restrictions, protection and coming to terms with the society of today. Renée Paule and G.R.Hewitt should be extremely proud of themselves. Many thanks to both for the opportunity to discover my class' new favourite read.
