Review of Animal Village

[Bethany Kroeger]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Animal Village" by Nelda LaTeef.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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"The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the sky. Everything is possible, by and by." This quote from Animal Village by Nelda LaTeef embodies its theme perfectly. It begins in the village of Zindair in West Africa during a dry season that has not ended for quite some time. The chief, a lion named Chief Zamboha, is concerned. He asks if anyone has any ideas on how to get water, and a tortoise named Timba bravely speaks up. She tells the animals that she used to listen to the 'old stories' that included a simple solution on how to solve this problem: dig. At first, the animals are skeptical, but Chief Zamboha encourages them to find water the old way. However, they soon give up and turn against Timba. Will Timba keep her faith in the 'old stories' regardless of the other animals' disbelief and prevail in the search for water?

What I like most about this book is the number of lessons it introduces. One of the lessons that stuck with me was the value of working together, rather than against one another, to achieve a goal. I also learned a lot from the facts about Africa listed at the beginning of the book, and children who love fun facts about countries will also appreciate them. What drew me in the most were the illustrations. They are simply beautiful! The author is talented when it comes to writing and art.

I do not dislike anything about this story, and I would not change anything about it. I also did not find any errors, and it seems professionally edited. I must give this book a rating of five out of five stars. It deserves such a high rating because of how original, creative, well-written, and well-edited the book is. I see no reason to deduct a star from the rating due to these justifications. I recommend it to children who are mature enough to understand the lessons LaTeef is attempting to convey and to adults who want to teach their children good morals and values. I would love to read more books by this author in the future. Do not miss out on reading this inspiring book with your children!

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Animal Village
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