Review of "Lily Pearl," by Anne Toole ISBN 9781478791034

Review of

Lily Pearl, by Anne Toole ISBN 9781478791034

Five out of five stars

 This book is written at the level of the student in the middle portion of elementary school, a few years before they may have to face the procedure that is the focus, getting braces on your teeth. While I never had braces on my teeth, many of my classmates in middle school did and they faced the problem that Lily Pearl had to deal with.

 She is a girl that loves to chew gum and blow the largest possible bubbles, it is her passion in life. The state of her teeth is such that it is necessary for her to have braces put on them and when she tries to chew gum she discovers that it cannot be done. Lily finds it necessary to meticulously dig the gum out of her braces and she vows never to chew gum while she still has braces. At the end she consoles herself with the knowledge that she will be able to chew again when her braces come off.

 The general style of the text is that alternating lines rhyme and the text is on the right side while a corresponding image is on the left. The pictures are colorful and detailed without having the intensity of the colors be too strong. While the rhyming is straightforward and simple, it is at just the right level of complexity for the target audience. The lesson of delayed gratification is sound and important.