Review: Raz beri by Matt Stephens and Let’s Look Through the Window by Mark Jones

Munachiso Somawina Chukwudi

Raz Beri

The author did a great job of teaching children about Cerebral Palsy, a kind of brain damage which the main character in the book lives with.

Bullying is poor social behaviour and seeing Billy peacefully confront his bullies and work together with other wheelchair users to achieve this, shows how formidable we are when we work together for a good cause.

Billy has a strong spirit and even with a squeaky voice his heart shines through.

I actually think all children should get a copy of Raz Beri and parents too, so we all do better with people like Billy because we have a lot of children who are like Billy and we should respect them.

I learnt bullying could be physical, verbal or cyber and affects those being bullied in many ways. The author did a great job. I learnt new words too like Cerebral Palsy, Loathsome, slithered.

I love how the author uses what children love, like football, gadgets and more to get us busy flipping the pages while passing important messages across. I also like the author’s language.

I like that he didn’t pamper us too much with simple words.

Complex worlds

Most writers seem to think because it is children’s book then it has to read like ABC, easy and simple.

They forget that the same children who play complex games can also conquer complex words.

My baby sister also read this book and she thinks the title, Raz Beri was majorly inspired by how Billy’s squeaky voice makes sounds.

I think being different is situational and if there is no harm then the person considered different should be allowed be live their best life. Billy is more than his challenges and proves to be a highly talented young boy like every child out there!

Raz Beri is published by Firefly Press and can be purchased here. 

Opuriche Nwanyibuife Chukwudi

Let’s Look Through the Window

It is very creative for children to use their imagination. I like that the seasons like winter and summer don’t stay forever. I like that sometimes we feel cold and other times hot. I love how the author, Mark Jones interacts with the reader page after page as each action reflects on the next page and this makes the book progressive.

The idea of a red curtain reminds me of Little Red Riding Hood as we ride with the author through seasons and times, taking actions, seeing results and taking more actions for more results.

Colours

The illustrator of Let’s Look Through the Window, Christopher Halls, also made reading more interesting and fun. The book has a burst of colours. I like how the author tells us what to do and I like how everything changes in the next page when we don’t expect it or even know what the changes would be.

Simple events of nature like birds in the sky, falling of leaves, rain fall, sunshine, wind, cold, heat, dark clouds were made possible by a hand motion like ‘swish’!.

The writer made our hands magical like a wand. We could tap on a table and change the weather. We could blow air on a gloomy sky, rub off the dew and a brighter sky would magically appear.

Nothing is permanent, not the trees, not the grasses, not the little robin, not the leaves, not the gloomy sky, not the sunshine, not the cold and also not the warmth.

One thing will always give way for the other once the time comes. Just like we sleep when it is dark and wake when it is dawn, we open the curtain only to close it again and say goodbye.

Let’s Look Through the Window is published by Rainy Day Books UK and can be purchased here.