OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "While" by Kamon.]

I was happy to spy a title on the review list by Kamon, the author of another book I reviewed. As I enjoyed the previous story very much, I wasted no time accepting the current selection, While: A Story of Time Around the World. It is a children’s picture book that explores a boy’s view of what is happening in different regions in the world, all at the same moment in time.

At 10 AM, a teacher begins a class lesson about the concept of time. As students often do, Emerson looks out the window and starts daydreaming about what he sees outside his classroom. The student’s thoughts wander as he notices a group of ladybugs and a man working in the playground. Emerson’s imagination takes hold as he reflects on different areas around the world. What might people and animals be doing in other countries right now? Like his cousin Gina, even people who live on the other side of the U.S. are just waking up while he is already in school. Emerson remembers his father explaining, with the aid of a time zone map, the way it is nighttime in some regions while the sun is rising where they live.

I loved this fun, educational book. The descriptions made me feel as if Emerson was taking a magic carpet ride around the world. The author makes effective use of the boy’s daydreams as a plot device to show examples of different time zones. I particularly liked the choices of offbeat places such as Iceland, the Himalayas, and Mount Fuji, in order to give a lively view of life around the world.

The author is also the illustrator of the story. The colorful, whimsical artwork is a wonderful complement to the narrative. Each page of text is accompanied by a full-length illustration. Younger readers would enjoy looking at the pictures of exotic locales. It might spark their interest in learning more about these places. It is a nice touch that the nighttime illustrations are shown on a black background, a helpful reminder that it is a completely different time of day in those locations. The casual font used for the text is also a good fit for the story.

The ending of the book is thought-provoking, although the phrasing on the last page might be a bit sophisticated for children.

This book has easily earned 4 out of 4 stars. It has a nice mix of ingredients to entertain and educate younger readers. The story kept my interest with a cute plot and eye-catching illustrations. I would recommend this book to children ages 3-9. A great choice for storytime and beginning readers, it’s a perfect example of the concept that learning can be fun.

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While
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Like bookowlie's review? Post a comment saying so!

How nice that you found a book by an author you were familiar with. Sounds like a fun read. Thank you for the excellent review.

What a wonderful review, bookowlie! I agree with gali, it is nice finding a book by an author you were familiar with, especially one that you enjoyed before. This sounds like a great read for young children and can really make children aware of others around them - that the world is actually a bigger place than maybe even some adults can imagine it to be. I love this concept! Congratulations to the author for receiving such a glowing review!

Thanks Gali and Hsimone! I really liked the way the storyline unfolded, with the boy first daydreaming about things he saw right outside the classroom window before thinking about other parts of the world. It was very realistic that he would first think about the activities occuring right in front of him.

Feeling truly grateful
Thank you bookowlie!
What a great review, informative and insightful. I was delighted when I saw that you were my reviewer. Thank you again!

This sounds like a really great story for children. It seems like there was a lot of thought put into the story, like with the pages during night times being black. I like that it teaches children about the different time zones in the world while also teaching some geography lessons. Great job on the review and congratulations to the author for writing such a fun, interesting book.

Thank you Amheiser... and yes like bookowlie did for the review...I also put all my heart and mind creating this book...)

-- 17 May 2016, 23:04 --

Thank you to Gali and him one too for their good words...a real pat on the back! Xox

Kamon wrote:Feeling truly grateful
Thank you bookowlie!
What a great review, informative and insightful. I was delighted when I saw that you were my reviewer. Thank you again!

You are most welcome. Thanks for the nice comments about my review. Your love of writing fun and educational stories really shines through in your books.

-- 17 May 2016, 11:50 --

Amheiser wrote:This sounds like a really great story for children. It seems like there was a lot of thought put into the story, like with the pages during night times being black. I like that it teaches children about the different time zones in the world while also teaching some geography lessons. Great job on the review and congratulations to the author for writing such a fun, interesting book.

Thanks Amheiser. I agree that there is a lot of thought given to the details in the writing and artwork. For a short book, it packs a lot of punch!

Great review! This sounds like such a neat book. I have two daughters who would probably both really enjoy this.

I can see this story being a great choice for you to read with your daughters!

Please follow the Smashwords link; it is free until the end of the month. Thank you for the good comment....))

Kamon wrote:Please follow the Smashwords link; it is free until the end of the month. Thank you for the good comment....))

What a generous thing to do! This book would be a great addition to any child's bookshelf.

Thank you Bookowlie, I wish we could have a chat and a coffee together... but like in the book I live where it is 10 PM when your clock shows 10 AM. Maybe one day, my books will bring me back in the west...☺☺☺in the meantime, keep on writing these great reviews... you have a golden keyboard!

Thank you for your kind words. It's so true that we are breathing the same air, but in different time zones. That's the beauty of the internet...bringing people together to chat and have coffee "together" while sitting in different places at the time.

@Kamon it sounds like we're in the same timezone...or close enough I love it when children's books combine education and fun! Going to check this one out! Thank you for making it free for the time being. And thank you Bookowlie for the excellent review!