I had interviewed Sheri Fink the bestselling author of The Little Rose a little while back. She had a lot of wisdom to share on writing and marketing children’s books.  The interview can be accessed here: children’s book author interview with Sheri Fink.

Her new book, The Little Gnome has been published and I am delighted to be offered a chance to review it. Her début book; The Little Rose made it to bestseller status so I could not help being curious to see her work and it’s presentation.

 April Sayre in her interview: Conversations with April Sayre said that children’s book authors should see themselves as small business owners and approach their literary work in such fashion. I could not agree more. Sheri Fink sent me a beautiful postcard after her interview was published and she promoted it through her own network. She has truly mastered the role of writer and marketer.

Now to The Little Gnome book. Right off the bat, this book stood out. The dimensions were a little different from what I have been accustomed to as a children’s bookseller. This will make it stand out in the array of picture books if encountered in a brick and mortar bookstore. The paper quality was also of a higher quality.

The story is that of a little garden gnome who enjoyed his time in an enchanting garden in the warm weather but had difficulty adjusting to the seasonal changes in the weather. We humans abhor change, particularly if those changes are not for the better. Like it or not, change is one of the guaranteed constants in life. The book ends with a moral lesson in embracing change and making the best of the changes that come our way.

 The Little Gnome has been our bedtime book for the past two weeks. My boys love it. My toddler is seen most mornings flipping through the pages completely enraptured in the book. I have to say that it is not your typical picture book in the sense that it is a wordy book. The adjectives and detailed descriptions make it a good read-aloud book for elementary age kids who have advanced on to chapter books.

The Little Gnome receives thumbs up from me and the boys.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Little Gnome in order to provide this review. I was not in any way influenced by the author or publisher.

Related posts:

1. Children’s Book Author Interview with Sheri Fink
2. Review of “The Cookie Thief”
3. Review of Picture Books: Lavender Lucy and Turquoise Tally
4. What Picture Book Are We Reading Now?
5. Children’s Book Author Interview with Iza Trapani