Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A Delightful Journey - Review

A delightful journey into the hearts and minds of three authors, who write about their home lives, in the form of creative non-fiction/memoir. It is a narrative filled with love, loyalty, and growing up in a small town. Six siblings and their parents, relatives and friends experience different events from routine days, elaborating on daily incidences in life, and family holidays at the Stees family home.

Cindy retells her feelings of failure of not being able to play Jacks, but learns gratitude towards her Aunt's patience in teaching her how to play. She also learns a lesson on overcoming her fears in one situation, when faced with a greater danger. Vicky learns about teamwork and competition, as well as the sheer joy when rolling barrels, when she and her siblings, and neighborhood children create a rolling game. She also tells a lesson on how other's misfortunes can be a learning experience for us without us going through it ourselves. Jenny has a lesson in loyalty when her dilemma of helping her twin sister with classwork creates a confrontation with the "meanest teacher."

These stories are not merely memories of the stories themselves, but of what is learned by children when they interact in a family setting, with their parents, throughout the community, and the institutions we all have to visit and deal with one time or another. Family life, in the various day to day experiences and which endear the readers heart's, remind us of our own childhood memories and events that made us who we are in the midst of our own family dynamics, and how we were taught to understand the larger world in the microcosm of the family unit.

The book is seperated into 7 chapters of rembrances, such as School Days, Family Pets, Playtime, Eating Times, Special Moments, Childhood Fears and Miscellaneous incidences that make us wiser, kinder, more understanding, and appreciative of those with whom we grew up and come to know and love.

Cindy and Jenny are twins and the youngest of the six. Vicky, is the next older, and Gwen is the oldest of the girls. Gabe is the eldest of the brothers and Kel, is the younger brother. All these siblings partake in these wonderful instances, through the memories of the three authors.

This is an excellent book to read in family events, holidays, or just to your children at bedtime. It is also a helpful book to initiate games from the book, set up a family plan of organized space and preference, and it will surely delight one's whole attitude about the validity of family and home life, especially what it means to your children while they are growing up.

L. Nolan-Ruiz, Founder/Creator
International Books Cafe'
www.internationalbookscafe.com
lnolanruiz@ibcafe.net