Young Masters

PreS-Gr 3—Each title in this inspirational and motivational series, written by Bunny Hull and illustrated by Kye Flemming, deals with the development of a specific character trait. In this tale, which focuses on courage, Phylos is afraid to cross a stream by stepping on the rocks. The other characters explain to him that courage helps people overcome fear and accomplish difficult things. Statements like "…courage is something that melts your fears away like snowflakes in the hot sun" abound. The book is illustrated with artfully executed stick figures drawn with a computer drawing tablet. The narration is performed by Elayn Taylor in a deliciously rich and expressive storytelling style accompanied by a musical soundtrack. Eight songs composed and sung by Hull reinforce the theme. She sings in an accessible folk style, and all the numbers have interesting instrumental accompaniment. The CD contains electronic versions of the book in a variety of formats: an audio recording, a page-by-page PDF of the picture book, a PC and Mac version, and iPhone and iPad media files. Useful for character development units.—Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT