Official Review: Legend of the Dewberry Harvester
Posted: 28 May 2021, 09:05
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Legend of the Dewberry Harvester" by Jan Ezelle.]
A young ant named Brewnie has come of age, which means the time has come for him to start working as a harvester for his colony. However, he is spooked on his first day after encountering Mrs. Widow, a black widow spider. The experience scares him so much that he finds it difficult to leave his house again. Naamah, the queen of the ant colony and Brewnie's mom, finally convinces him to step out again. She entrusts him to the care and tutelage of a veteran ant named Elber. This helps Brewnie forget his anxiety for a while, and he starts to learn a lot about dangerous animals, trees, and other elements of his world.
One day he gets separated from his team while they are out exploring and meets a new friend named Ms. Beatle. After a long and enlightening discussion, Brewnie realizes his team has left him behind. He makes his way home only to find that he has been locked out. This makes him sad, as he thinks his mother doesn't want him anymore. The young ant leaves in search of shelter, but this is only the beginning of his adventures. He gets to meet many more friendly and not-so-friendly creatures. But the story eventually comes full circle when his family needs his help. What decision does Brewnie make? Does he ever find out why he was locked out? What experiences does he have, and what creatures does he meet during his adventures? This is an exciting story that is worth every child's time.
Legend of the Dewberry Harvester by Jan Ezelle was a fun read. Being a children's book, the decision to use ants, spiders and other members of the insect world as the central characters was a genius move, in my opinion. I have no doubt this contributed significantly to this story's success. Through the eyes and experiences of these characters, Ezelle painted awesome pictures of friendship, selflessness, loyalty, humility, and service. This could be seen mainly in the lives and decisions of characters like Brewnie and Ms. Beatle.
I especially liked Brewnie; he didn't start out being brave, but he grew into it and stayed that way even in the face of entirely new realities. Now, this doesn't mean that the character was unrealistic. Bravery is not the absence of fear and worry; it's the unrelenting commitment to keep moving forward regardless of the formidable obstacles in the way. This definition was crystal clear as I read about Brewnie's journey, his thoughts, and the decisions he made along the way. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought this story was purely about humans and not about creatures with six legs or more. I could imagine this book being adapted for the big screen. That's how good and inspiring the storyline was to me. I also liked how Ezelle referenced the biblical king, Solomon, several times in this story. Seeing as he was the one who taught men to "learn from the ant," this was a neat addition, in my opinion. It was also a nod to the depth of research the author must have done to pen this tale.
There was absolutely nothing to dislike about this story; it was superb and impactful. The book was also exceptionally well edited—I didn't find any grammar or typographical error—which was the icing on the cake for me. Of course, this is a children's book with less than 150 pages, so its impeccable editing wasn't that surprising to me. Beyond the story's excitement, the brilliance of the character development, and the references to King Solomon, this tale had some profound lessons for kids. I rate this book an unreserved 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to parents and teachers to aid quality conversations with their kids and students. It would also be ideal for insect-loving kids who need a little bit of motivation in their lives.
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Legend of the Dewberry Harvester
View: on Bookshelves
A young ant named Brewnie has come of age, which means the time has come for him to start working as a harvester for his colony. However, he is spooked on his first day after encountering Mrs. Widow, a black widow spider. The experience scares him so much that he finds it difficult to leave his house again. Naamah, the queen of the ant colony and Brewnie's mom, finally convinces him to step out again. She entrusts him to the care and tutelage of a veteran ant named Elber. This helps Brewnie forget his anxiety for a while, and he starts to learn a lot about dangerous animals, trees, and other elements of his world.
One day he gets separated from his team while they are out exploring and meets a new friend named Ms. Beatle. After a long and enlightening discussion, Brewnie realizes his team has left him behind. He makes his way home only to find that he has been locked out. This makes him sad, as he thinks his mother doesn't want him anymore. The young ant leaves in search of shelter, but this is only the beginning of his adventures. He gets to meet many more friendly and not-so-friendly creatures. But the story eventually comes full circle when his family needs his help. What decision does Brewnie make? Does he ever find out why he was locked out? What experiences does he have, and what creatures does he meet during his adventures? This is an exciting story that is worth every child's time.
Legend of the Dewberry Harvester by Jan Ezelle was a fun read. Being a children's book, the decision to use ants, spiders and other members of the insect world as the central characters was a genius move, in my opinion. I have no doubt this contributed significantly to this story's success. Through the eyes and experiences of these characters, Ezelle painted awesome pictures of friendship, selflessness, loyalty, humility, and service. This could be seen mainly in the lives and decisions of characters like Brewnie and Ms. Beatle.
I especially liked Brewnie; he didn't start out being brave, but he grew into it and stayed that way even in the face of entirely new realities. Now, this doesn't mean that the character was unrealistic. Bravery is not the absence of fear and worry; it's the unrelenting commitment to keep moving forward regardless of the formidable obstacles in the way. This definition was crystal clear as I read about Brewnie's journey, his thoughts, and the decisions he made along the way. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought this story was purely about humans and not about creatures with six legs or more. I could imagine this book being adapted for the big screen. That's how good and inspiring the storyline was to me. I also liked how Ezelle referenced the biblical king, Solomon, several times in this story. Seeing as he was the one who taught men to "learn from the ant," this was a neat addition, in my opinion. It was also a nod to the depth of research the author must have done to pen this tale.
There was absolutely nothing to dislike about this story; it was superb and impactful. The book was also exceptionally well edited—I didn't find any grammar or typographical error—which was the icing on the cake for me. Of course, this is a children's book with less than 150 pages, so its impeccable editing wasn't that surprising to me. Beyond the story's excitement, the brilliance of the character development, and the references to King Solomon, this tale had some profound lessons for kids. I rate this book an unreserved 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to parents and teachers to aid quality conversations with their kids and students. It would also be ideal for insect-loving kids who need a little bit of motivation in their lives.
******
Legend of the Dewberry Harvester
View: on Bookshelves
