Review of Shining Bright A Journey of Dreams

[Christell Lindeque]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shining Bright A Journey of Dreams" by Kiana Frederick.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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For young readers, I recommend Shining Bright A Journey of Dreams by Kiana Frederick. Maya, a young girl, had a passion for dancing, and one day, a wise tree imparted some advice to her, telling her that if she believes in herself, all of her dreams will come true.

The illustrations look like they were painted with oil paint, making the illustrations difficult to make out. What I mean by saying they are ambiguous is that they lack sharp edges and appear almost chaotically lovely. The text was written in rhyme, making it fun for the target demographic and increasing the likelihood that they will read the whole thing.

While I can appreciate the artistic merit of these painted illustrations, I think adults, like myself, will enjoy the illustrations even more than the target audience of children, but I still think kids will enjoy the book. For a children's book, the colours are rather muted, and I would have appreciated more variety. It would have been better if the story didn't begin on the same page as the dedication; it makes it hard to tell when the story actually begins. In addition, I think the girl was already fairly skilled at dancing, as depicted in the book. For a young reader, this could send the wrong message that they need to be experts before they can pursue their passion.

The above are only minor drawbacks, and I still think the book deserves a high rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The story's premise and message struck a chord with me. Although the painted illustrations captivated me, I wonder if a young reader would feel the same way. The book reads very smoothly, is easy to grasp, and appears to have been meticulously edited, as I found no errors.

This book is perfect for any young black girl who wants to follow her passion and achieve her goals. This book is ideal for young readers between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.

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Shining Bright A Journey of Dreams
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