Customer Reviews

It's Heaven To Be Seven

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a collection of 12 chapters from various books that might interest a seven year old---like a music sampler. None offer a complete story, but they were meaty enough for my seven year old daughter to want to pursue reading some of the books. A good way to introduce a child to some new material. I wasn't too excited about the idea of paying for excerpts, but the reader appreciated the opportunity to "look before she bought"!

It's a great idea! One book, twelve chapters, twelve celebrated authors. It's a book about being seven years old where all of the lead characters are seven.
Judy Blume, Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, James Howe, Ann M. Martin, Patricia MacLachlan, Betty Horvath, Johanna Hurwitz, Suzt Kline, Susan Wojciechowski, Dick King-Smith, and Miriam Cohen all contribute a chapter to this book by sharing one of the chapters of of a completed book. The story lines focus on a seven year old facing one of life's challenges or going through change. James takes a wild ride on a peach. Billy isn't sure he wants pink to remain his favorite color. Emma and Zachery are baby-sat by their childless aunt and uncle. Sophie will go for her first riding lesson. Karen is a "two-two." Nora isn't sure she likes her new neighbor. Bernice lost her tooth down the drain. Ramona worries about her father. Freddy plays the lead in the school play. Song Lee faces her fear of public speaking. Jasper is a burgeoning hero. And Jacob has writer's block.
This book does a good job of giving the reader an opportunity to be introduced to these books and authors. Though each book can easily stand on its own, when compiled as such, they seem to lose their strength. Topics that are great in individual works become melodramatic in this format.
Since nothing new had to be written to package this product, it seems clear that the publisher has little to lose here. One wonders whether the decision to publish this book was made by an editor or marketing director. Was there a need for this book, or simply a market for it?

An interesting idea - the book takes one poignant chapter from popular books with characters who are seven years old. The great advantage of this, I think, is that it gets kids interested in the great books. The disadvantage is that often, in my opinion, there is not enough background to fully appreciate or enjoy the chapter - or short story as it is billed.

This is an excellent way to get a taste of a lot of different books at once. While some of the stories are well-known classics, there are enough lesser-known ones to keep it interesting. We liked some of the excerpts so much that we read the entire book. It's a fun 7th birthday present!

My little 7 year old can read for herself, but she still likes me to read this to her. It is a special time, and we enjoy it. Really fun and easy read.