Trizzella The Witch of Woods Cove - by: Sandra Harvey

Trizzella The Witch of Woods Cove is another example of Ms. Harvey's non conventional, inspired, and creative approach to storytelling.   The main story of the book is told in a wonderful poem that spans over 76 Full color pages to tell that story of one magical moonlit night in Woods Cove.  Some people say rhyming books are easy to write, and this may be true to an extent. Everyone can find a rhyme for Sun right? -Did you just think Fun?  But,  every once and a while an author really comes through with a story that is told in Rhyme with no typical or forced rhymes.  This is  one of those books, the pace is almost hypnotic, there are no extra syllables, there is not a trace of the story being driven in a direction for the sake of keeping the rhyme alive, and their are no typical easy rhymes.  This is just FUN to read, it's easy to get in the flow and to absorb all the humor, magic, and adventure while rhythmically flowing from page to page.  This book is great when read out loud, and did I mention it is FUN?   

Some of the  other aspects of this book worth noting are: The Hand drawn cartoon art  matches the characters and story very well. The entire book is colored in blues, purples, and greens on black paper and is very soothing to look at and also creates a real feeling of night.    While the main story is written in rhyme, the characters also have non rhyming dialog with each other through the use of comic book style captions... What?  ... Yeah you read that right! Comic Book style dialog and thought bubbles! that tell a story all of their own. And in addition to that there are subtle words hidden in the background on some pages, that are not only fun to look for, but also convey a general message related to the story.  This combination of elements works amazingly well without one ever stepping on the other. This is distinctively a Sandra Harvey creation. How Sandra keeps  pulling out fresh and brilliant ideas I'll never know.  I am currently trying to get her to sit down with me  for a YouTube interview.

In a way it is a also a bedtime book, but it is a bed time book where the children stay up and play all night, get lost in a scary fog, end up at a mysterious  tower, and actually do not go to sleep until the sun starts to come up.  This is yet another example of Sandra and her deep understanding of children.

 

Another aspect of this story I found to be fresh  is through the Characters Annie Blue, and Lily. Through these 2 characters the book briefly  touches on abandonment and loss but manages to keep it light and comforting. 

Trizzella has magical powers, she can talk to animals,  and cast spells but to her it is just part of everyday life.  Where Trizzella's real magic power is, is in her heart and her sweet gentle soul.  She has a magic sewing needle that has the power to mend hearts and sew stars into blankets. Trizzella doesn't  hesitate to use her magic to help out a hungry caterpillar who arrives at an apple tree before apple season, or to clear a scary fog.  This story has pirates, ghosts, adventure, food, fun, and an devious little kitty cat (with an amazing hat collection) who has decided his purpose in life is to destroy any chance Trizzella has for finding love.

Like every Sandra Harvey Book I've reviewed so far, this book is intended for children, but adults will love it too. 

Trizzella The Witch of Woods Cove is available here.

https://www.createspace.com/5222686

There is also a collection of Free Trizzella cartoons available at

www.trizzella.com

This is one of my favorite Ryhmes from the books.

Underneath the bookcase lives her strangest little cat

his room is full of pirate things like skulls, and books, and maps.

his name is Edward Villain.

He eats birds, and rats, and mice.

Trizzella calls him E.Vil because he's really not that nice.

 He goes on vast adventures in his vivid little dreams

to destroy Trizzella's chance for love

he plots and plans and schemes.

 

      Sandra Harvey

Corazon of the Outer Banks ~ Corazon De los Outer Banks -by : Sandra Harvey

While the other horses run wild and free on the Coast of North Carolina, Corazon prefers to sit day after day staring out to the sea. Until one day a little boy named Jose arrives. Over the summer Corazon and Jose become best friends. As the summer comes to an end a terrible storm approaches, the storm will test the courage and friendship of both Corazon and Jose and change Corazon forever. A timeless and heartwarming story about the power of friendship, courage, and dreams. 

Again Sandra Harvey breaks convention in Corazon of the Outer Banks.   The first thing you will notice about the books is it has both English and Spanish on all the pages.  This was very cool to me as I was actually able to learn some Spanish from reading it just once, by my 3rd time through I was already starting to be able to understand the Spanish text without looking at the English.  I can see this being an incredible teaching tool for anyone wanting to learn English or Spanish.  But it is far more than a teaching tool, it is really heart warming story about courage and friendship, not always fitting in but being able to accept that and find your place anyway.

The main characters in this book are an Hispanic boy name Jose, and a wild horse named Corazon (Spanish for Heart). I truly appreciate how in every book Sandra makes a real effort to unite people together, and to teach people that we are all the same, no matter where we come from.  For years and years and even just this morning I keep hearing about how we need Diversity in books, but other than a few stories with a African American main character, I am simply not seeing diverse characters being written in children's books.  Unlike some of  the African American children's books that put focus on the tragic history of their race. I can say that I greatly appreciate that Sandra Clearly understands that children are children no matter what country they are from, not matter what color their skin.  There are simply no stereotypical references to Hispanic culture in this book.  Children of non-Caucasian race want to see themselves as Wizards and Heroes just like white children do, because children are the same no matter where you go.  

Corazon of the Outer Banks is an amazingly illustrated and vibrant 30 page picture book. The target audience is of course readers under 12, but like all of Sandra's books and characters Corazon of the Outer Banks has a very real appeal to readers of all ages.  

Corazon of the Outer Banks ~ Corazon De los Outer Banks  is available here:   https://www.createspace.com/4884082

Sandra donates a percentage of each sale to saving the American Wild Horse.  What you do not know is that it is actually a very large percent.  Keeping this book kid friendly,  no where in this book does it mention anything about the plight of the American Wild Horse nor is the book about the atrocities and horrors that mankind is inflicting on the American Wild Horse.  Ms. Harvey just quietly  donates to the cause , while allowing children to stay children by not exposing them to this information.  Sandra Loves children, she is truly an advocate for all Humanity, but even more for Children.

The Half Hearted Girl -by : Sandra Harvey

What can I say about Sandra Harvey, she is beautiful, she is talented, she is a fierce humanitarian and she is not afraid to take risks.  In a nut shell -we need more authors writing these types of stories and experimenting with new ideas and taking these kinds of chances.  Every book you read by Sandra Harvey dares to break the conventional mold of children's books. Her Characters Trizzella and Corazon not only touch our hearts and imaginations, but they grab hold of the part of us that make us believe in magic.  




The Half Hearted Girl is her latest book, and is exactly what you come to expect from Ms. Harvey. Sandra embraces diversity in her characters and addresses real issues that children face every day. Sandra manages to create some of the most fresh and inspiring stories and characters I have ever had the pleasure or knowing.

To Summarize: The Half Hearted Girl is a wonderfully written and superbly illustrated children's book about a little girl that is born missing half of her heart. As the girl grows up she seeks out all things that all whole hearted, but never seems to be able to fill the empty part of her heart.  On the other side of the world is a boy that was born missing half of his soul, as he grows he tries to fill his life with soulful things but never fully feels whole inside.  When one day the two of them set out on a journey, each seeking to fill the part of them that is missing.  Their journey leads them to the very middle of the earth where they arrive at the same time and meet. The girl and the boy go on many adventures together and in the end they both find what they were looking for...  This is a book that transcends age , race, and gender and has a very strong appeal to a much a older audience. 

What is hidden deep in this book past a summary, is more than just a story of a boy and girl. It is more than just a coming of age tale, and more than a story of hope and love.  While the story it not written in rhyme The book has this amazing poetic flow, each page playing a perfect parallel with the next, the book is what I would define as "perfectly symmetrical" but what amazes me even more than this brilliant writing style is that no where in the book does it feel forced, the story flows from page to page so well that you may not even notice the symmetry at first.  The black and white art style and the lay out of the book also ties into the symmetry of the writing  flawlessly. 

The book is a quick read, being under 80 pages, but it is deep, it evokes real emotion of longing, sadness, wanting, discovery, friendship, fulfillment, acceptance, and love.  It is a great coffee table book, a great bedtime book, a great book for swinging in a hammock, a great coming of age tale, and a tremendous accomplishment by Author Sandra Harvey.

The short Q&A section and Mini Journal in the back of the book are wonderful editions.

The Half Hearted Girl is available here:

https://www.createspace.com/4884015