Review of Will You Talk to Me?

[Beth Condit]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Will You Talk to Me?" by Margie Carstens.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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“Will You Talk to Me?” by Margie Carstens is an illustrated children’s book. The story involves a young girl enraptured with the sea and the activities and life happening in and on it. While looking out her window, a hummingbird captures her interest. She watched this littlest of birds fight off a hawk and wanted the bird to talk with her. She is mesmerized by this beautiful, colorful creature that zips around so quickly. She starts questioning how he can be so confident when he is tiny. She wants to know his secret. The hummingbird tells her that her confidence is within herself. As the conversation continues, the girl begins to understand she is the one who gives herself confidence and what others say is irrelevant. The bird concludes by telling her that she was made perfect.

The tone of the book is one of wonder and encouragement. The moral in the book is to recognize one’s gifts and not to compare oneself to others. Discovering one’s skills and talents, regardless of what others say, helps promote confidence. Self-promoting confidence is a valuable lesson for children to learn. A hummingbird is a non-threatening image with which children can relate. Advanced vocabulary limits this book to upper elementary students, which is likely when children first begin to lose their confidence with their peers. I give the book a five out of five. The illustrations are well done and pleasing to the eye. Information provided on the hummingbird gives educational value to the story.

The author finishes the book by addressing the reader. She encourages the reader to master a skill, to pursue learning and creativity, and concludes the book with a reminder not to compare oneself to others. The editing produced a book free of mistakes. I would recommend this book because I can find nothing negative about it. The author could consider adding questions to make it interactive and engage the reader with the story and its message.

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Will You Talk to Me?
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