Book Review and Giveaway: Summer of the Magic Blanket by Litsa Bolontzakis, illustrated by Daniela Zekina

** this giveaway is closed **

This is an interesting book and perfect for Summer! It is a great book to share naother culture with your child over the summer vacation months!

Synopsis: Summer: it’s a time of heat waves and sunburn, idle days and restless nights. What better place to spend a warm, magical summer than on a beautiful Greek island? Enjoy the blue ocean waves, the pebbly beach, the singing of mermaids, and a fresh, juicy watermelon!  


This is part of a 4  book series by the author, about all 4 seasons in Greece. She says she wrote the books because: "We’re living in the ME generation, and we as parents have to fight the spirit of selfishness and impatience that attacks our children. The seasons teach us patience . . . you can’t hurry the changing of the leaves, the melting of the snow, or the ripening of the fruit. I would love to have fresh almonds year-round, but that is not possible. Nature and the Seasons teach me patience. Patience is a marvelous quality, and good things come to those who have patience.This is a lesson we can learn from the Seasons and a valuable lesson to teach our young ones."

"Generosity . . . the seasons teach us how to share our gifts with others. Oh, how much we can learn from the Seasons! They come, year after year, bringing an abundance of gifts and always the right ones for our particular needs. Summers and watermelons—what a fantastic combination! Our needs for refreshment and hydration are pleasurably met."

Review: This is a gorgeously illustrated book and you can easily picture yourself in Greece. We attend the annual local Greek festival in New Orleans, so Kiddo is familiar with Greek food and culture, but she was fascinated with this look at life in Greece. The summer bounty of fruit really captivated her, as she was able to make the similarities with life here in America. Every page brought a new discussion of items in the illustration and provided us with a wonderful learning experience. The author also includes recipes for Watermelon Salad with Feta and for Miniature Koulourakia Cookies- both of which are simple to make and kid friendly!

I definitely recommend this book, and series, for teaching your kids about the Greek culture and Greece!

About the Author: Children’s book and cookbook author, Litsa Bolontzakis is an expert on Greek cooking and that culture’s easy, simple way of life. Her desire is to help other families learn from her culture how to appreciate the simple things in life and grow to enjoy the seasons and the gifts they bring. 

About the Illustrator: Daniela resides in Montreal, CA. She is an award winning painter and book illustrator, of more than 45 books. You can see her artwork at Lacroix Gallery ( www.galerielacroix.com ), Chambault Gallery (www.galeriearchambault.com and at Jeannine Blais Gallery (www.galeriejeannineblais.com ). She is a Grand Prix 2009 Award winner as well ( www.artmini.com). 

Giveaway:

Winner will receive this review copy of Summer of the Magic Blanket!

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Contest will end on July 9th, at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on July 10th, and emailed. As soon as winners' info is received, I will mail their book to them on the next mail run!

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes on this blog, free of harge, from News and Experts PR .No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.