Official Review: Bubbles and Streams Wash Me Clean
Posted: 01 Sep 2018, 15:43
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Bubbles and Streams Wash Me Clean" by Rebecca L. Morales.]
4 out of 4 stars
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It's important to educate young children about being kind to others. In Bubbles and Streams, Wash Me Clean, author Rebecca L. Morales teaches young readers basic anti-bullying values, as told from the perspective of the bully.
Bart is a bully. Because he picks on them, none of the other children want to play with him, and they run the opposite direction when he comes to the park. Stan is so involved in reading his book that at first, he doesn't see Bart approaching. When Bart charges toward Stan, his foot hits a rock, and he tumbles to the ground, allowing Stan to flee. As Bart sees the last child escape, he asks himself why he is so mean. He decides he needs to wash himself clean in order to change. When his childish attempts fail, he meets Peter Pratt, who appears to be a leprechaun. Using several amusing examples, Peter teaches Bart about liking himself first and then being kind to others.
This character-building book is easy to understand and an effective way to teach young readers about unacceptable bullying behavior. The rhyming text is fun to read aloud, and the colorful illustrations will appeal to young children. Additionally, the illustrations complement the story and have a professional appearance that I've seen lacking in other children's eBooks.
What I appreciated most about the book was that it was told from the bully's perspective. There is a definite point in the story when Bart realizes that he doesn't have any friends because of how he treats others. Though Peter's solution may be somewhat simplified, it's a good first step for young children. I loved the final line from the book, which supports the book's message. "And as it turned out, Peter was right. Bart changed over time, not overnight."
As much as I enjoyed the book, there was an issue with the formatting. I read the Kindle version (on a Kindle), but it wasn't correctly formatted. The book's pages and illustrations were only slightly larger than half the screen size which caused the text to appear really small. To fully appreciate the reading experience, it was necessary to enlarge each page and then resume the original page size before going on to the next page. I found the process tedious, so I'm sure that young readers would soon become impatient with the inconvenience.
Despite the formatting issues, the book appears to have been professionally edited, as I didn't note a single grammatical error. I'm pleased to rate this character-building book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to young children, as well as their parents, grandparents, and teachers.
******
Bubbles and Streams Wash Me Clean
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
It's important to educate young children about being kind to others. In Bubbles and Streams, Wash Me Clean, author Rebecca L. Morales teaches young readers basic anti-bullying values, as told from the perspective of the bully.
Bart is a bully. Because he picks on them, none of the other children want to play with him, and they run the opposite direction when he comes to the park. Stan is so involved in reading his book that at first, he doesn't see Bart approaching. When Bart charges toward Stan, his foot hits a rock, and he tumbles to the ground, allowing Stan to flee. As Bart sees the last child escape, he asks himself why he is so mean. He decides he needs to wash himself clean in order to change. When his childish attempts fail, he meets Peter Pratt, who appears to be a leprechaun. Using several amusing examples, Peter teaches Bart about liking himself first and then being kind to others.
This character-building book is easy to understand and an effective way to teach young readers about unacceptable bullying behavior. The rhyming text is fun to read aloud, and the colorful illustrations will appeal to young children. Additionally, the illustrations complement the story and have a professional appearance that I've seen lacking in other children's eBooks.
What I appreciated most about the book was that it was told from the bully's perspective. There is a definite point in the story when Bart realizes that he doesn't have any friends because of how he treats others. Though Peter's solution may be somewhat simplified, it's a good first step for young children. I loved the final line from the book, which supports the book's message. "And as it turned out, Peter was right. Bart changed over time, not overnight."
As much as I enjoyed the book, there was an issue with the formatting. I read the Kindle version (on a Kindle), but it wasn't correctly formatted. The book's pages and illustrations were only slightly larger than half the screen size which caused the text to appear really small. To fully appreciate the reading experience, it was necessary to enlarge each page and then resume the original page size before going on to the next page. I found the process tedious, so I'm sure that young readers would soon become impatient with the inconvenience.
Despite the formatting issues, the book appears to have been professionally edited, as I didn't note a single grammatical error. I'm pleased to rate this character-building book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to young children, as well as their parents, grandparents, and teachers.
******
Bubbles and Streams Wash Me Clean
View: on Bookshelves
Like Cecilia_L's review? Post a comment saying so!
