Inventor Adventure: A self-watering journey - Selma Benkiran - ★★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Selma Benkiran

ILLUSTRATOR: Valeria Loskant

GENRE: Children's STEM Picture Book, Inspirational

RATING: 4.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: An amazing picture book for older children that goes much beyond what the title promises. Informative and inspiring in all the right ways. Much recommended!

Plot Preview:

Young Lilo loves spending his summer vacations with his grandparents, but this year’s summer brings with it a special surprise: his parents are taking him on a month-long trip to the rainforest. Lilo is over the moon with joy, but his excitement soon peters out as he realises that there is no one to water his beloved plants when he goes on vacation. Taking advice from his friends as well the adults in his life, Lilo tries out some ways of creating a self-watering system. But every idea fails miserably. Lilo, however, is blessed to have some trustworthy adults around him, and with their ideas, he keeps working towards his goal. Will he succeed in creating a watering system for his plants?

While ‘inventor’ stories are fun to read, they always come packaged with a dollop of unrealism. Either the machines are too wacky or their outcome is over the top. I need to channel every little remnant of my inner child to read such stories with the right attitude without rolling my eyes at the absurdity of the proceedings.

Thankfully, I needed no such prep for this amazing book. Which is why I am going to begin with the negative feedback first – the ONLY point where I feel that the book could have done better: the title. While the current title represents the story, it doesn’t indicate the WHOLE of the story. This little tale is so much beyond a typical adventure story or an inventor story or even a ‘self-watering journey’ that the current title and tagline don’t do justice to it.

Other than this, all I have is positives and praise. Here’s what I loved about this book:

🌹 Lilo’s character: Realistic all the way. I appreciate how he is depicted with genuine emotions, ranging from excitement to anger, joy to frustration.

🌹 Lilo’s willingness to take advice from not just his friends but also the adults in his life. So many books make children solve every single problem on their own. We need such books to make kids understand that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness.

🌹 The adult characters: Lilo’s parents and grandparents are so well represented! They are there for Lilo when he needs them, but they aren’t overprotective or interfering. They offer just as much help as required and then leave him to learn some more through trial and error. There’s a lesson herein for all adults as well.

🌹 The scientific knowhow, including some interesting tidbits about Lilo’s plants, the way in which water reaches plants, and how self-watering can work.

🌹 The affirmations that Lilo gathers every step of the way, learning from his mistakes and from the advice offered by the adults. I love how these life lessons are highlighted at the bottom of the right page in a special box.

🌹 The practical approach to problem solving: So simple that even a child can implement it! I am never a fan of self-help books because they always promote generalisations. This book, however, gets all the advice right. The life lessons are written in a way that speaks to kids but has much to teach adults as well.

🌹 The creative thinking depicted through the innovative ideas that Lilo tries for his self-watering plan.

🌹 The message about perfectionism vs. ‘good-enoughism’: Always a great lesson for everyone to learn!

🌹 Amazing use of the page space, with the text neatly arranged and with enough spacing in between lines. The writing makes use of highlights and coloured text for the key points.

🌹 The illustrations – Inclusive sketches coloured in soothing light pastels. Subtle enough to keep the focus on the content and precise enough to complement the text perfectly.

🌹 The parting note took me totally by surprise because until I saw it, I hadn’t noticed something special in the illustrations. Loved this Easter egg!

All in all, this picture book is an amazing combination of informative and inspiring. I loved almost everything it stands for. The medley of scientific approach and life lessons is a winner.

Strongly recommended. This would be a great addition to any home or classroom library, as its appeal is not restricted only to those who love plants and/or gardening. Because of the content and approach, this picture book would work best for kids aged 6+.

My thanks to author Selma Benkiran, Mi Camino Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Inventor Adventure”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The digital version of this book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.