Book Review of To the One-in-a-Million Festival and Back
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The Children’s Book Review
To the One-in-a-Million Festival and Back
Written by Loucia Isaac Seropian
Illustrated by Mane Sholinyan
Ages: 6-12 | 36 Pages
Publisher: Zangak – Armenia (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-9939-0-4833-8
What to Expect: Community, learning, procrastination, and food
Part of a series dedicated to teaching young readers about food, community, and essential character virtues, To the One-in-a-Million Festival and Back uses simple language, lots of dialogue, and a gentle plot to support reading development. The book introduces children to diverse cultures and traditions through the festivals of La Tomatina in Spain and Vardavar in Armenia, fostering cultural awareness and appreciation.
In Togetherness Village, a unique fruit and vegetable community lives, learns, and grows together, guided by two notable community leaders—Mr. Olive Tree and Mrs. Sage. The characters and their experiences help children develop empathy, emotional intelligence, and better communication skills.
One community member, Little Apple, finds it very challenging to get her homework done on time—this year, it might mean she can’t attend Mrs. Sage’s special end-of-summer dinner. But with a little bit of encouragement from Mr. Olive Tree, Little Apple not only gets her homework done but also has a wonderful time at Mrs. Sage’s dinner, surrounded by her friends and learning all about food culture from around the world. Little Apple’s story of overcoming challenges with the support of her community demonstrates the importance of perseverance and the joy of learning.
The book’s central theme revolves around the end-of-summer dinner gathering hosted by Mrs. Sage, which serves as a catalyst for the characters to share their knowledge and experiences, particularly about unique festivals like La Tomatina and Vardavar. These two festivals mentioned in the book help introduce young readers to different cultures and highlight the significance of community events in bringing people together and celebrating shared experiences.
The fruit and vegetable characters embody relatable characteristics, such as procrastination and anxiety, showing readers how support from the community can help overcome these challenges. Bright, hand-drawn cartoon artwork brings these playful characters to life on the page and provides visual context to support the decoding of the words further. Bright, hand-drawn cartoon artwork brings these playful characters to life on the page and offers visual context to further support the decoding of the words.
To the One-in-a-Million Festival and Back is a valuable resource for parents and educators looking to foster a love for reading and learning in children while introducing them to diverse cultures and traditions. This gentle, delightful moral tale is perfect for beginner readers and shared classroom reading.
Get the Book
The author’s vision for this book is to make it accessible to both English as a Second Language (ESL) communities and native English speakers alike. Seropian intends for the book to be available at no cost or fee to readers—she has succeeded locally in making the book available free of charge in Armenia. For all inquiries, please reach out directly to Loucia Isaac Seropian: loucia.isaac [@] gmail [.] com
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