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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Fantastic and Fun Jun 07, 2011
By Ahgoo Review
I am especially fond of fairy tales and stories that involve princesses and magic. With that said, I loved Princess Zaara and the Enchanted Forest. In the story a seven year old princess is not allowed to enter the enchanted forest. But, girls will be girls. One day she leaves her crown on a bench and wanders off into the forest. She encounters some colorful and fun characters in there and learns the importance of being a friend.
Story: 5
Loved it! It reminded me so much of stories I would read again and again as a little girl. The author captured the curious and adventurous behavior of many a seven year old in the story. The characters were very creative. There was a giant, and elf, a magic bearlike creature, a fairy and more. I loved that the author was able to reinvent characters that have been around for ages. It was really a sweet tale.
Illustrations: 5
The illustrations were fabulous. Bright colors and detailed backgrounds are sure to capture a child's attention. When looking at illustrations I always look at the depth of the image. If there isn't much depth there I tend not to give a high rating. This book has illustrations with depth. That is so important for children because it gives them something to look into rather than to look at.
The Overall Ahgoo Review rating is: 5
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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A review by Free Book Reviews Jun 25, 2011
By Albert Robbins III
"Albert Robbins III"
Princess Zaara and the Enchanted Forest
My children actually fought over this one. They each wanted to read it again and again. Do not confuse this with a picture book and if you plan on reading it aloud to your kids keep in mind the length as this is a good size book meant for 7-11 year old's to read. Otherwise do not hesitate to pick this one up.
Free Book Reviews
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
a beautifully written children's book Mar 12, 2011
By Mary87
A truly wonderful children's picture book that uses beautiful illustrations to bring Zaara's story to life. The author uses words to excite and inspire the imagination of the younger target audience, taking them through the story in a very descriptive way. This is a great book for children who are just begining to read and familiarise themselves with words, as the story manages to carry them through each enchanting page with very vivid, yet simple language. Moreover, the author uses the traditionally loved fairy tale structure as a basis, refreshing it with a modern twist to captivate young minds.
Working within a local library in London, we have all found this book to be an exciting addition to children's literature. From the cover to the last page, each plate is captivating with illustrations and a heart warming story that is sure to be loved by all young readers. We have certainly thought so- a fantastic debut by this author.
Beautiful, Fun Read Sep 14, 2011
By Melanie McCullough
I read a lot of children's books. Mostly with my 8yo neice Kylie who adores reading as much as I do. Before I read it, I gave it to her to read alone so that I could get her opinion. She read it, loved it, then demanded that I read it with her.
The first thing that caught her eye were the illustrations, which she thought were beautiful. The story line itself kept her attention even the second time we read it and she particularly liked the fairy Tiffany-Annabel.
There were a few large words here and there that younger children might have trouble with. And I personally am thrown off whenever dialogue tags precede the actual words spoken as they do in this book, but Kylie didn't seem to mind.
I probably would have given it a 3.5, but I'm going to defer to Kylie's judgement and give it a 4.0 as she is the intended audience.
 Zaara Makes New Friends, Sings Jul 20, 2011
By Suzanne Morris
"KidLitReviews"
Princess Zaara lives in a castle overlooking a magical forest her parents refuse to let her enter. The next time her tutor falls asleep she slips off her crown and runs into the forest. Zaara meets a Giant named Morgan and his two friends, Elvin the elf and Banji, a teddy bear creature. They welcome Zaara with their special friendship song they like to sing. She then meets Tiffany, a fairy, and watches as Mischievo casts spells over her new friends. It is up to Zaara to find Mischievo, somewhere deep in the magical forest, and bring him back to her friends.
Zaara and the Enchanted Forest is a short, 30 page, picture book for children ages 6 to 8 years. The story highlights friendship and acceptance of others. The characters do that quickly, yet sincerely. Princess Zaara and the Enchanted Forest works best read aloud to a child or group of children ages 4 to 6. It does not take much effort for Zaara to solve her conflict in the forest and I am not sure she has changed by the end of the story, as all good characters must, yet young children will like the story and understand the message sent to them. Anyone older than six will probably lose interest quickly. If your child loves the Barney song, or sings with Sesame Street, they will like the friendship song and
can add their own name to the song.
The writing could use a bit of editing. There are too many commas used and used incorrectly. This drove me nuts. Trying to read, stopping often, many times for no purpose, made it difficult to enjoy the story. The incorrect commas are like speed bumps on a racetrack. The descriptors are colorful, yet also overdone and were redundant for such a short story. This is where some editing would help. More dialogue and some snappy lines would help the story, especially when read aloud, which the author feels is the best way for his story to be read to children.
Despite the above, Princess Zaara and the Enchanted Forest is a sweet story with a happy ending. Children will love the bright illustrations that fill most pages without text. The book is a good size for a story hour reading or a bedtime tale.
Note: received from author
See all 7 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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