Review: Charlie and Mama Kyna

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Hi! I'm Esmé, and I am reviewing my very own book! I don't know how old I am ANY more! (Mommy's note: that would be 30 months...)

This book, Charlie and Mama Kyna, by Diana Rumjahn, is about three adorable stuffed animals who learn about friendship and a mother's love. It has lots of colorful pictures and is lots of fun to look at! It is based on Rumjahn's original motion picture, "Going Home," which has won several international film awards.

Here's how the press release describes the story: "When Charlie the frog accidentally breaks his mother's vase, he decides to run away from home out of fear and embarrassment. He soon discovers Leo the lion and Joe the giraff, new friends who stay with him in an orange tent outside Mrs. Cupcake's Bakery. When Charlie becomes homesick, all three embark on a search for Charlie's mother... In the end, Charlie is welcomed home and reminded that his safety is far more important than a vase."

Here's what I got to say about it:

Do you like the book? Yeah!
What is the story about? Yellow flowers! For Joe the frog's mommy!
Isn't it about Charlie the frog? Yeah. And Joe the lion and Leo the giraffe. Maybe it's Joe the giraffe and Leo the lion.
Is Charlie unhappy or happy? He's sad...
Why? He broke the vase.
And he misses his mommy? Yeah.
Would you be sad if you broke a vase? Yeah.
But you wouldn't have to run away from home, right? Because your mommy loves you more than any vase. You NEVER have to run away from home. OK!
Several pages later... Look, there's his mommy! Now he's HAPPY!
We read about the homecoming party... Wait, let me look. Look, there's cake! And balloons! And the bear! And the pig! And the elephant!
We read about the trio helping out with chores and all friends that visit. Look, they are washing clothes! And bubbles! Now there's the monkey! And the cat! And the dog!
Finally we read about Mama Kyna's valentine picnic. I want a cookie! I want a cookie!
And so the story ends...

Mommy's Notes
This is a sweet story that teaches several valuable lessons. It's full of fun sound effects: drizzle, drop, snap, crackle, and burr... And the brightly-colored illustrations are endearing. Who doesn't love stuffed animals and cupcakes? I would love to see the movie! Of course, empathetic Esmé loved the sad/happy/emotion-evoking factors of the story.

Esmé has a pretty good attention span, so we would read through the story once, and then she would want to "read it again" by checking out the pictures. In my opinion, the story would work best for about ages 4-8.

You can buy the book at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and at additional retail stores worldwide. For more information, check out the author's website: www.dianarumjahn.com

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Thanks to author Diana Rumjahn and Pump Up Your Book Promotion for the review copy of this book.