This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Tiffany Ferrell for Readers' Favorite
In The Tale Of Meadow Grove by Lynn D. Wheeler, we are introduced to five-year-old twins named Chloe and Emma. They don’t live in a safe house and the only time they can be free to act like children is through their imaginations. This helps them not to fear the mean Mr. Jingles who comes in the night. In a place they call their secret backyard land, where the girls take refuge every night, they are greeted by animals and new adventures. Chloe and Emma are at peace in this land full of tigers, elephants, snakes, and ostriches. They want the animals to follow them into their real world, which is a scary and dark place. The animals tell them that they can’t leave their land, but will think of the twins when things start to get bad.
This is such a powerful children’s book that will be entertaining for kids, but also has a very strong message that can be interpreted in several ways. To me, it sounds as if the kids are in an abusive household and the scary Mr. Jingles could be their father or their mother's boyfriend. It could also be that they are afraid of the jingle from his keys when he comes home late at night because he’s probably intoxicated and they fear that he will hurt them if he catches them awake. In households like this, it’s very common for kids to dissociate and live in their heads since their reality is so traumatic. I feel that some children will relate to these two girls on a deeper level than others. Some kids will see it as a magical adventure with a big scary monster, and others will feel it echoes their sad home life. The illustrations capture this tale perfectly and they are beautifully executed. Lynn D. Wheeler has written an amazing and powerful story in The Tale Of Meadow Grove and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.
