Spellbound - Jess Townes - ★★★★.½

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AUTHOR: Jess Townes
ILLUSTRATOR: Jennifer Harney
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
PUBLICATION DATE: June 21, 2022
RATING: 4.5 stars.

Awwww!! This is so cute! 😍😍😍

Willow is a little magician who enjoys her life with her parents and her pet bunny. But her charming idyll gets ruined with the arrival of her baby brother Rowan. He seems to have “cast a spell” on her family members, such that her own magic doesn’t work on them anymore. Will Willow be able to free everyone from Rowan’s magic?

I simply loved the story. It reflects Willow’s insecurities as an elder sibling. It also shows how she could solve the problem by being open to Rowan rather than shutting him off. I hope the book also teaches a lesson to adults that elder siblings need special attention when there’s a new baby in the house. Turning them away damages their self-confidence and they might resort to hurtful behaviour.

The language used is so intelligent. While it is simply enough for kids to understand, it is peppered with magical words, lending an additional charm to the story. I would have loved to see a few pages of Willow bonding with Rowan but the book’s pretty good as it is too.

The illustrations are absolutely adorable. I simply loved each and every page for its vibrancy and ‘magical’ appeal.

In short, the book left me “spellbound.”

4.5 stars.
(Why only 4.5? Because I wanted more at the end!)

Heartily recommended to every newly-minted elder sibling.

My thanks to Union Square Kids, Sterling Publishing, and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Spellbound”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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