Review of "Belinda Bear’s Special Talent," by Amy Best

Review of

Belinda Bear’s Special Talent, by Amy Best

Five out of five stars

 

 When searching for your personal talents, it is always best to think broadly rather than restrict your search to only a few skills that you see in your friends. Belinda is a bear that lives in the forest and has many friends. When a talent show is announced, it is clear what each of her friends will do, for they all have a demonstrated skill, while Belinda does not.

 A search begins where Belinda tries doing many things, all to no avail, there appears to be nothing that she can do well. However, rather than getting down, Belinda bakes treats for her friends and gives them encouragement as they practice their parts in the show. When the show takes place, each of her friends does very well, but it is Belinda that wins. For she has demonstrated the rare skill of being a good friend that encourages others in their pursuits.

 There are two important lessons for children in this book, the first is that you cannot excel at everything, there always will be others that are better than you are. The second lesson is that being a friend is an important skill, sometimes the best thing that you can do for someone is to just be there and encourage them in their endeavors.

 The style is to have the image and associated text on the same page. The coloration is sharp and clear and the reading level is roughly that of the second grader. 

This book was made available for free for review purposes.