Phantasmagorical
Phobias by
Michelle Path PB Available on Amazon published by Rowanvale Books RRP $10.57
ISBN
9781910832189
Reviewed
by Karen Hendriks
Australian
author Path has creatively written an
engaging book with a collection of short stories that delve into fears and how
they affect our lives and how the characters manage to overcome them. Path’s clever use of fairy tale, pirate
and cowboy and girl characters opens a menagerie of fears that impact greatly
upon each character’s ability to function within their world. Imagine a witch
who is afraid of toads or a dragon that can’t breath fire. I like the fact that the book uses short
stories so that they can easily be visited and revisited over and over
again. Teachers will find this book a
useful resource in their classroom due to the stories having an educational
slant. This book would be suitable for
8-12 year olds.
Path’s style of writing engages
young readers with a little old world charm, and a touch of the modern day
too. The stories move along easily with
a mix of short and long sentences. The
vocabulary used has a sprinkling of new words that will expand the younger
reader (including the title).
‘Chika’s
words hurt Jiro. The dragons’s wings drooped and he hung his head. He began to
cry. The macaque did not care. He was too intent on his own selfish desires. He
ran off into the forest in search of the orchard, leaving Jiro alone with his
grief.’
Path
is an independent author who is clearly following her passion to write for
children with sixteen books published to date and more to come. She is clearly determined to spread her
writing wings.
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