***Complimentary copy received in exchange for an honest review***
A timeless fairytale for children for all ages. Sparkle & The Gift is about a little girl who decides not to forget who she is, a radiant being of Light. Sparkle's remarkable determination is contagious. She takes her mother, Alice, outdoors to align with the natural world and to remember that the Light is everyone s friend. Alice is inspired to tell the story of Kachina s Gift , which is a fairytale designed to remind us that everything we need is already within us.
Where to Buy
You can get your copy of Sparkle & The Gift on Amazon.
About the Author
Ayn Cates Sullivan, MA, MFA, Ph.D. is an inspirational author and teacher. She holds a master's degree in spiritual psychology from USM, and a masters and doctorate in literature from Columbia University and King's College London. She loves color, nature and inquiry. She currently lives with her husband, two children and variety of horses and pets on a ranch in Ojai, California. Her educational experiences coupled by life lead her into the study and practice of what makes one whole.
Ayn's many inspirational books include Tracking The Deer, Consider This, The Windhorse: Poems Of Illumination, and two new books soon to be released...
She loves writing children's books. Sparkle & The Gift, the first of a children's story series, is about a girl who refuses to forget that she is a being of light. The second story within the book is told by her mother Alice and is about a fairy who designs a magical healing rose.
Sparkle & The Gift won awards with the London Book Festival, The LA Book Festival and was given a GOLD by Mom's Choice Award in 2013 for both the Myth, Legend and Fantasy & The New Age Children's book categories.
The next book in the series, Sparkle & The Light is due to be released this summer.
You can discover more about Ayn's books on www.ayncatessullivan.com
My Thoughts
Sparkles & The Gift is beautifully illustrated story about a little girl named Sarah. She remembers her real name is Sparkle and that she's part of the colors of the earth. Her mother then narrates a story about a fairy and her work to help mother nature and to awaken humans to the magic that was forgotten. I really love the message the story is trying to convey. I feel its very important to teach our children to honor nature and remember we are a part of it. That message is what enticed me to give this book a try. I personally found the story to be full of beautiful, poetic symbolism. BUT my children lost interest in it before we were half way through. As much as they liked the illustrations, the story was too drawn out for them and bounced around in ways they often found confusing. The meanings, though lovingly conveyed, are hard for children to comprehend. I have four children who range in age from two through twelve. My two younger children grew bored and got up and walked away while I tried to read it to them. The older kids,who normally read chapter books, read it through independently but said it made to sense to them. I was really torn about how to rate this book. I'd like to give it a higher rating because I appreciate the deeper meanings, but since it is supposed to be geared toward children and my kids didn't enjoy it, I can only justify a three star rating.
***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. I did receive a sample of the product to try in order to write a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way. ***
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