The children’s picture book, “The Adventures of Boots: The Giant Snowball”, written by Linda Black and illustrated by Masha Holl is a fun wintertime romp.
The main character is a white cat named Boots who hates the black markings on his feet that gave him his name. He thinks they are ugly, even though everyone else tells him otherwise. However, just when Boots is the most irritated with his black “socks”, he finds that they just might be useful after all. In fact, they may be the most important feature he has been given.
There are several themes throughout this story, including self-acceptance, friendship, teamwork, appreciation and faith. The story is not at all preachy or boring, but it does manage to pass along the importance of these character traits. The story isn’t overly religious, but it does mention God and encourages kids to count their blessings and give thanks for them. In many ways this story reminded me of the classic stories I grew up with that were full of faith and morality. In no way is this a bad thing, in fact, I often miss seeing these qualities in the children’s literature that is produced today.
As for the illustrations, they just may be the best part of the story. The artist did a fine job of depicting the events happening in the story and created characters that children will immediately identify with. The artistic style is very unusual for a picture book. It is almost three-dimensional and has an animated feel to it. In fact, when I looked through the illustrations, the first thought that came to mind was that the artwork was impressive enough to hold its own against much of the animation you see on tv or in movies. Undoubtedly, this artist has a great career ahead of her.
Over all, this book is fun, meaningful and of very good quality. It is also convenient since it is currently available for the Kindle, the Nook, and will soon be available in print as well. You can order the book from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com, or you can visit the author’s website for more information.
