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Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. Her love for the violin has inspired her to pen three “violin” children’s picture books: The Magic Violin, Frederico the Mouse Violinist, and now the latest, The Doll Violinist.
Visit her website at www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com and get the first two lessons of her popular Walking on a Rainbow Picture Book Workshop free!
Reviewed by Rita Vetsch for Readers' Favorite
"The Doll Violinist" is an inspiring and magical book written by Mayra Calvani and illustrated by Amy Moreno. Five days before Christmas, an orphan girl named Emma is in love with the violinist doll in the store window. One of five dolls, the violinist doll was special because Emma’s mother used to play the violin before she died. The shop owner, Madame Dubois, is initially cruel to Emma by sending her away from the store, but each day Emma comes back to see if the doll is still in the window; and each day there is one less doll in the window. Will Madame Dubois find the miracle of compassion this season and will Emma finally have the doll of her dreams?
Mayra Calvani and Amy Moreno team-up to create a true masterpiece. They are able to delicately entwine the writing with the artwork and the result is amazing! The wording is easy for any child to comprehend and the illustrations are beautifully depicted and magical. This book reminded me of my own childhood and the magic of Christmas that was always in my heart, but waiting for me to discover once again. I especially loved the meaningful message of hope and compassion and the miracles of Christmas. Any little girl will fall in love with this book and it will inspire thoughts of empathy and kindness during the Holidays. I shared this book with my eight year old daughter and she immediately fell in love with it. After reading it and talking about all we can do for others at Christmas, she ran off and found her favorite doll to cuddle with. This truly is a fantastic little book with an enormous heartwarming and inspiring message inside!
