Review by Booklist Review
Mela is a bold and adventurous girl who thinks nothing of setting off to explore the riverbank on her own. When her brother asks if he can accompany her, she refuses because he has nothing to offer in return. Thus, her journey along the river becomes a cautionary tale. Mela's boat gets trapped, and she finds herself lost and dependent on the jungle creatures to show her some kindness and direct her home. In a predictable parallel, the animals will only help her if she gives them something. Set near the Ping River in Thailand, this story has the trappings of a contemporary folktale, with a lesson about kindness awaiting Mela and the readers. Cheerful illustrations in a palette of glowing jungle colors offset the perils of a child alone in a forest. Mela's predicament is happily resolved by a kindly elephant, and she learns to change her opportunistic ways. An author's note about Thailand provides brief cultural context with explanations about geography, customs, and concepts.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Phumiruk (Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines) takes readers to the country of her birth in an instructive contemporary fable about kindness, set in a village in Northern Thailand. A girl named Mela sets off to explore the nearby banks of the Ping River, refusing to bring along her younger brother. "What will you give me if I take you?" she asks, but he has nothing. The decision comes back to bite her after she's swept away by the current and winds up far from home. Mela meets a crocodile, leopard, and monkeys, who ask her the same question she asked her brother when she requests their assistance. She offers them her belongings, which they take-and then abandon her. Eventually, an elephant arrives to help and deliver the book's central message that "kindness needs no reward." It's not a subtle story, but it's still a potentially useful tool for conversations about generosity, and Chen's digital artwork, rendered in an array of creamy greens, brings the verdant setting to life. Ages 7-8. Author's agent: Deborah Warren, East-West Literary. Illustrator's agent: Mela Bolinao, MB Artists. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
After acting selfishly, Mela gets lost in the jungle near her northern Thai village. She requests help from different animals, offering her possessions as rewards. Ultimately, only a kindly elephant helps her, and for nothing in return. Mela learns a valuable lesson about generosity and gratitude in this original fable with a folkloric, repetitive cadence and verdant digital illustrations. Includes a note on Thailand. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
