Thursday, May 28, 2009

A new review...Νέα κριτική για το Ασπρο Σαλιγκάρι


The Writer's Eye Magazine


THE WHITE SNAIL

By Iliana Metallinou
Vasilis Savvanis, 2008
32 pages
ISBN 978-960-98648-0-0 Softcover

Reviewed by Amber Lea Starfire

The White Snail, a charming little book written and illustrated by author Iliana Metallinou, is the first of a series of bilingual educational stories for young readers.

Written in both Greek and English (flip the book over to access the story in the other language), The White Snail tells the story of a little snail who discovers that his shell is white and therefore different than the shells of the other snails. From that day on, he feels unhappy with his appearance and tries to find a way to look like the other snails. I don't want to spoil the ending; suffice it to say that the moral of the story is that differences can be quite attractive.

From an English reader's perspective (the other side is all Greek to me), there are too many words on a page — as well as too many difficult words — for age-appropriate children (ages 3-6) to read the story themselves. However, it's a good story for parents to read to their young children. The illustrations are colorful and will attract the attention of the young listeners, the story has a healthy message, and it offers some educational tidbits about the lives of snails along the way.

Even if you're not planning to learn Greek, this is a little book worth looking into. Iliana Metallinou teaches English in Corfu, writes articles and stories, and paints. For more information about Iliana and how to order the book, visit http://lianastories.blogspot.com .

Bio: Amber Lea Starfire is Publisher and Editor of The Writer's Eye Magazine, freelance writer, photographer, bicyclist and mother. “Life is all about finding joy in the journey and is too short to do anything other than live our dreams.” Her personal website is http://www.amberstarfire.com

thewhitesnail-small.jpg

No comments:

Post a Comment