Abracadabra! The magic of trying

Maria Loretta Giraldo

Book - 2018

Little Owl is afraid of falling and will not try to fly until his forest friends persuade him to say a special word--and keep trying, even after he fails. Includes note for parents.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Washington, DC : Magination Press [2018]
Language
English
Italian
Main Author
Maria Loretta Giraldo (author)
Other Authors
Nicoletta Bertelle (illustrator), Katie Ten Hagen (translator)
Item Description
"American Psychological Association."
"Original title Prova a dire Abracadabra! Camelozampa, Italy 2017"--Title page verso.
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 27 cm
ISBN
9781433828744
Contents unavailable.
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Little Owl is the only bird left on his school's tree branch who has not abandoned his comfortable perch to fly. Blackbird, Robin, Sparrow, and several others have successfully made the leap, but Owl is much too afraid of failure. Turtle boosts his confidence by persuading him to use the word Abracadabra to launch himself. He makes several fruitless attempts, the first time mispronouncing the magic word, and the second jumping with his eyes closed. Ultimately, Owl musters all of his will to take flight, proving that there is great power in continuous effort. Soon after, he quickly shares his newfound approach with Little Frog to help him overcome his own fear of jumping into the pond. Encouraging children to take small, incremental steps to accomplish big tasks is an important lesson that is cheerfully presented in this optimistic picture book. The story is enhanced by intricate, swirly collage illustrations. Children will undoubtedly notice that Owl steadily changes color throughout, from purple to bright pink to orange to blue, until his final appearance in green. This kaleidoscope of colors changes just about as readily as his progressive mastery of the task at hand. The story emphasizes the power of bite-size steps to accomplish what might initially seem like monumentally difficult tasks. The added help from friends is proven to be as important, or more so, than a magic word. A final note to parents and caregivers describes various uses of the book and strategies one might implement to overcome challenges. VERDICT Storytime audiences should appreciate this book as much as individual children needing confidence to overcome new challenges.-Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.