Children's Book Review: Molly and the Magic Suitcase: Molly Goes to Thailand by Chris Oler, Illus by Amy Houston Oler

Welcome back to Molly's adventures with her Magic Suitcase! This is her third adventure!

Synopsis:

Molly and her brother Michael are curious about the world. Inspired by food, family, and friends, they trek to faraway places using a magic suitcase. Join Molly and Michael on their most exotic adventure yet! Inspired by a school project, they explore the ancient wonders and the modern culture of Thailand. Play a fascinating new game, enjoy unique food and flavors, splash on the beautiful beaches, and take an amazing trip to the mountains with Molly and Michael in this one-of-a-kind story.

Review:

Molly and Michael are back and heading to Asia (yes, it's our travel location/continent this week!)! Miss Grace was intrigued by the immediate cultural references, like asking a person's age, to make sure the proper title is given to them, and the use how everyone has a nickname! And of course she adores Pocky Sticks, so she was happy to discover something in common with the country! She also loved the idea of floating marketplaces! As a Southerner, we always relate to regions by the food they serve it seems, so it was interesting to me to see how Chris brought this out as well in this book.

This book would be great for a social science project, or for home schoolers, and we recommend it!

About the Author/Illustrator:  

Amy Houston Oler is a trained artist who has loved drawing all her life, rarely going anywhere without a sketch pad. She created her first comic strip at age ten and continued creating comics and cartoons in high school and college, graduating from DePauw University with a double major in both History and Studio Art. She later studied at the New York School of Visual Arts. During her time in New York, she worked for Marvel Comics, The New Yorker, and Entertainment Weekly. Amy produces all of the art for the Molly and the Magic Suitcase series by hand. 

Chris Oler began a freelance writing career through sports, specifically the corporate softball team he put together in Chicago. His game reports entertained well enough that he was soon writing for other divisions of Kaplan Professional. His background includes speech writing for the Indiana House of Representatives, serving as an editor for Kaplan in Chicago, and teaching and coaching students from grade 5 to grade 12 at the International School of Indiana and Park Tudor School in Indianapolis. Chris is currently the President and Lead Writer of COLOR Marketing & Design.