Literary R&R review

Literary R&R
December 4, 2010

Blog Tour & Review: Red in the Flower Bed by Andrea Nepa
by Mandy Shemery

The book is absolutely precious. I love the rhymes and the use of the flowers metaphor to represent the author's daughter. It is a lovely children's story.

The artwork was refreshing and wonderful as well. Instead of being actual drawn illustrations, they looked more like what you would see in a scrapbook; which ignites that feeling of warm memories and things that should be remembered and cherished.

To preview the book, you may click here. You may also visit Tribute Books' website, Twitter page and/or Facebook page. You can also visit this book's blog by clicking here where all of the blog tour hosts are being featured.

Happy Reading! =)I was contacted by Tribute Books inquiring if I would like to host a stop on the blog tour for this book. Being a supporter of adoption, I agreed.

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer review

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
December 3, 2010

Blog Tour: Red in the Flower Bed by Andrea Nepa
by Kathy Habel

This is an adorable book and would be the perfect gift for someone who is involved in an adoption. A new seed can't grow where it it is at so the wind carries it to fertile ground where it is able to thrive. Beautiful illustrations and simple text make this a book for all ages.

A Catholic Mother's Thoughts review

A Catholic Mother's Thoughts
December 3, 2010

Red in the Flower Bed: An Illustrated Story about Interracial Adoption
by Rosemary Bogdan

Tribute Books has asked me to write a review of the children's book Red in the Flower Bed: An Illustrated Story about Interracial Adoption by Andrea Nepa. And so I give you the following:

In 2001 Andrea Nepa adopted a little girl, Leah, from Vietnam. It is to this daughter Leah that Andrea has dedicated her book. "For my dear Leah, whose journey in her young life has already taken her to far away and unexpected places."

Red in the Flower Bed is a sweet book. The story is a simple one of a seed in a faraway place which is dropped by a flower onto dry ground. The flower, realizing the ground is too dry, allows the wind to transport it to a garden that is especially right for it. The seed germinates and grows into a beautiful red poppy, delighting all the other flowers with its new and different color. The daisy exclaims, "There is now red in the flower bed. And best of all, look down the row...We have a complete rainbow."

A lovely metaphor for the international and interracial adoption process, the story is told in simple rhyme that could be easily understood by even a young child.

The endearing illustrations and lovely message of hope and Providence make this a suitable book for children of all ages.

I almost wish the subtitle had not been added. It is, of course, important to the author as it is indeed a symbolization of the story of Leah's adoption. But the message could have an even broader appeal. It could, for example, invoke the saying "Bloom where you are planted." And I can see the allegory also giving comfort to children who have just experienced a family move, especially a move to a foreign country. The symbolism could be taken even further to unfamiliar and even scary situations where children might find themselves. Ironically, Leah, of whom the seed is a personification, did indeed find herself in such a situation when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. (She is, thankfully, now in remission.) That one can bloom and be loved and valued in the most unexpected and surprising of places is indeed a positive and powerful truth.

I recommend this book because of it's cheerful illustrations and enduring theme of hope...a lesson that is applicable to a number of life circumstances, even beyond the adoption process.

You can read an excerpt here. This is a dear book.

The Bluestocking Guide review

The Bluestocking Guide
December 3, 2010

Red in the Flower Bed
by Brooke Bonett

This little book helps children understand adoption, particularly interracial adoption. The story is about a little poppy seed that is sent away to grow and bloom away from it "mother" because it is better for the little seed.

It was a very cute story. I liked the message that having diversity in the family life is a good thing.

I don’t have any children of my own, but if I did I would definitely use this book to teach them about adoption, particularly if I was doing an interracial adoption or I know someone who was doing an interracial adoption. I think a child will be able to grasp the concepts in this book quite easily.

Actually even if you aren’t considering adoption, I think this is an excellent primer for teaching children that racial diversity is a good thing.

But that’s me.

LovLivLife Reviews

LovLivLife Reviews
December 2, 2010

Book Tour: Red in the Flower Bed by Andrea Nepa
by Chasity

Red in the Flower Bed marks two firsts for me. 1.) The first childrens title I've read on Kindle and online 2.) Experiencing the unique illustration style.

The first is just about self-explanatory. I will say that Online vs. Kindle (black and white)- Online wins hands down but a physical copy is always ideal.

Two, the illustrations are a treasure. Why? As a mom I try to tell my children stories from scratch. Scratch meaning no books just my own creation told orally with voice fluctuation, hand gestures, etc. Be it a true memory, complete fiction or a mix of the two. The purpose is to have my daughters exercise their imagination. I want them to dream up on their own.

Red in the Flower Bed's illustrations are a simple treat and reinforces what I'm trying to instill by orally telling stories. The illustrations are just enough to attract/engage attention but gave my daughters freedom to generate their own thoughts. They were not bombarded with too much happenings on the page- not that plentiful is bad but a nice mix of book types is sure to please. The illustration style is a combination of scrap-booking and arts & crafts. Overall, one of the main highlight of this book.

Then there is the moral of this story which is mentioned above: Interracial adoption. Loving and embracing diversity. At the end of the story I ask my girls: "What would be more dazzling? A garden with only blue flowers or a garden with all sorts of colors?" I mentioned a few local gardens in our area and spoke about different flowers and what's so special about each one. Since my girls are comprehensive and inquisitive taking the discussion to the next level and talking about how it relates to people was a great extension. I suggest if your child is young just a brief mention of the moral or just sticking to the garden will serve as an introduction that can later be built upon.

Red in the Flower Bed not only has a valuable message that we must share with our little ones but it also has a number of extensions that I am able to implement to either extend the moral of the story, learn about plant growth or just have fun. Which we did have fun. My 6 yo daughter made this drawing:



All in all, I found this poem book with illustrations a delight. The poem is easy to pick up on that the second and third time reading through my children were recalling from memory the sentence endings.

Thank you to Tribute Books for the opportunity to review this title and be apart of the book tour. The pleasure was all mine and my girls.

Purchase this book:
Amazon / Smashwords / Tribute Books / Barnes&Noble.com

Forever, For Always, No Matter What Review

Forever, For Always, No Matter What
December 2, 2010

Red in the Flower Bed
by Jennifer Dunlap

We were asked to participate in a blog hop for the review of a new adoption book from Tribute Books. The book is called Red in the Flower Bed and is written by an adoptive mom. I happen to personally enjoy reading books to my children that rhyme and this book is a fun read. Not only is it fun, it has an important message. It doesn't hit the reader over the head with adoption language, which can be a nice change of pace. However the adoption theme is obvious in a gentle way.

I think my two favorite parts are in the beginning when the the poppy is sad to see the seed leave and at the end when the daisy says "best of all, look down the row, we now have a complete rainbow" so fitting for our family! We always enjoy a book that opens up adoption discussion in a positive way.

This book would be a welcome addition to any adoptive family's library. For more information on how to add this book to your home or to give as a gift please visit Red in the Flower Bed as well as Tribute Books

Thrifty Mamma's Brain Food Review

Thrifty Mamma's Brain Food
December 2, 2010

Red in the Flower Bed: An Interracial Adoption Story and Blog Tour
by Paula Schuck

Red In The Flower Bed is a sweet, imaginative and yet simple twist on a child's adoption story. I am an adoptive parent of two children, an adoption advocate, speaker and writer and our home library is more than full of books that are for all ages and stages of the adoption journey. But, this one had a new twist I'd not yet seen which is why I recommend it.

Andrea Nepa has taken a seed as a metaphor and while that might seem logical and simplistic, I haven't actually seen it used in this manner. The seed is a lovely metaphor for an adopted child. While this book specifically tackles interracial adoption, I felt it missed the marketing mark here and limited itself. If you look at this as a story of any adoptee, it makes sense and appeals to a wider audience in my opinion. The child is like the seed of a poppy here, blowing in the wind, carried to a different pasture. The pasture is an obvious reference to the family created by adoption.

This story is aimed at 3 to 6 years olds and is reliant on rhyme and cute cutout style pictures. "So there among the violet, rose and marigold the little black dot settled into her spot." What a surprise she will be when she blooms and is a bright red poppy in a field of predictable colours.

Red In the Flower Bed is a nice addition to anyone's adoption library. It is a gentle, sensitive story. Red in The Flower Bed is a nice alternative to the many animal metaphors and characters that are often used to explore themes of differences and adoption in children's fiction. This story is clever and a good way to work the topic of adoption onto your bookshelf and into your child's life.