Children's Audiobook Review: Living at the Edge of the World - Summer (Papala Island Adventure, #3) by S.J. Barratt, narrated by Gill Mills

Living at the Edge of the World: Summer: The Papala Island Adventure Series, Book 3 by S. J. BARRATT
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Environmental bad actors and a possible sale of the small, isolated island threaten the homes of the twins' family and friends.

Living at the Edge of the World – Summer is the third book in author S.J. Barratt's Papala Island Adventure series, and in this adventure, the disregard of Mother Nature and her creatures and the rumored sale of the tiny, remote island in the Scottish Shetlands threaten the homes and lifestyles of the twins' family and friends, who have made the island their home for generations. When tween twins Timothy and Tabitha Brown return to Papala Island for a much-anticipated summer break, they and their friends discover the ocean is being polluted with trash by not only visitors but also islanders who know better. A mysterious sealskin is washed up with the debris, and the local legend demands that the finders must get the skin back to the selkie that lost it or suffer the consequences.

Readers are returned to Papala Island, a small island on the far reaches of Scotland's Shetland Islands, where Tim and Tabitha have returned to spend their summer break with their Great-uncle Tamhas. While Tim is anticipating all the opportunities available to expand his knowledge of life and the island, especially the local Puffin population, Tabitha looks forward to reconnecting with the friends she made during their earlier sojourn.

The plot is exciting and full of local lore and nature. Readers who enjoy stories with a lot of interaction with animals will find themselves right at home among the pages. I really enjoyed the selkie legend and the related parts of the story, as well as the history of the groatie buckie shells and the search for the hagstones, rocks featuring a complete hole through the center.

Gill Mills narrates the audiobook, and her performance really brings the twins, their friends, and their family to life. I clearly imagined all the characters and the story's excitement and emotions.

I recommend LIVING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD – SUMMER to middle-grade readers and listeners, and for reading aloud at home, in the classroom, or at after-school programs.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Silver Dagger Book Tours.

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Children's Book Review: Watch Things Grow by Jay L. O'Callaghan

Watch Things Grow by Jay L. O'Callaghan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bright, action-filled children’s picture book about growing healthy, organic fruits and vegetables.

Watch Things Grow is the first book in author Jay L. O’Callaghan’s planned children’s picture book series, featuring brothers Zack and Liam and their parents as they learn to grow their own vegetables and fruits from seed to table. The bright illustrations are full of action, and the narrative emphasizes the benefits of healthy, organic produce, some varieties of which may be new to young readers outside of Australia.

I enjoyed the imaginative combinations of story and pictures used to illustrate important nutrition concepts that may not usually make an impression on young readers. One such notable example is the illustration featuring symbols representing critical vitamins and minerals shown on the side of a huge soccer-style ball, with the two brothers going all out in its pursuit and play: a great way to connect how those elements help build and maintain strong, healthy bodies! Throughout the book, the illustrations are vibrant and realistic, perfectly matching the story; they really bring it to life. I liked how some of the pictures were drawn from an overhead perspective or superior angle, adding more variety and movement to the whole story.

As mentioned, the story is set in Australia, and one of the points the author makes is that the vegetables and fruits familiar to his characters, Zack and Liam, may be unknown or uncommon in other regions of the globe. That couldn’t be more true in our area of the U.S., and several examples may need to be explained to young readers here. However, I don’t see this as a drawback, but rather as another way to expand children’s understanding of the broader world.

I recommend WATCH THINGS GROW to readers of children’s nonfiction picture books.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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10-Stop All-Review Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Art of Farming by T.D. Motley

THE ART OF FARMING: A NOVEL

by T.D. MOTLEY

Fiction / Agriculture / Nature / Stewardship

Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing

Pages: 144

Publication Date: August 26, 2024

SYNOPSIS

Sam Bartlett’s formidable antagonist has four legs. Sol, a miniature donkey, schemes daily to outwit his kindly caretaker. This delightful rural drama regales a symbiosis of plants, humans, dogs, and livestock, with wild creatures observing from secluded, weedy perimeters.  

Retired from teaching, artist Sam farms thirty acres. His popular paintings of vast prairies at sunset are selling well. He plans to market organic herbs and produce, hiring local after-school teens. Begrudgingly raised on a farm, he once swore that when he grew up, he’d never go back. Time and age break promises. 

Elysia boasts a pretty town square, complete with a handsome county courthouse. Sam’s girlfriend, Annie, is a food writer who travels a lot. Bartlett Farm is her sanctuary. 

The Art of Farming is a hopeful tale about stewardship of the land, the animals, and of each other. It honors the integrity of agriculture, as expressed in ancient literature and art. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

T.D. Motley writes about art and organic farming. Born in Beaumont, Texas, he has been drawing since the age of three. His family has farmed in Texas since the mid-19th century. For many years, he and his wife, artist Rebecca, marketed their organic, heirloom herbs and produce to North Texas chefs and farmers' market customers.

Motley is Professor Emeritus of Art and Art History at Dallas College. His drawings and paintings have been exhibited nationally and are included in numerous collections across the U.S. and Texas. He has lectured at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum in Austin, the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth. He is a contributing author for Eutopia and ArtSpiel and has written about mid-century modern Texas artists for DB/Zumbeispiel and the Grace Museum in Abilene. Motley has received Fulbright grants to Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Motley is the past president of the board of Artist Boat, a Galveston-based nonprofit that teaches students about coastal nature through art and science. He served for several years as chair of the North Texas Fulbright Teacher Exchange Peer Review Committee. Previously, he worked as a printer in the U.S. Air Force, an illustrator for Ling-Temco-Vought Corporation, and a cartoonist for the infamous Dallas Notes from the Underground newspaper. His artworks can be seen at J. Peeler Howell Fine Art in Fort Worth.

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