Katie's Rose: A Tale of Two Late Bloomers

Everyone is worried about Katie because she is having trouble paying attention at school. She loves chasing butterflies and would rather take time to play than to learn. Grandma Rose knows that play can lead to learning and tells Katie to look at something special in her garden. Katie and her parents look at the roses and Grandma Rose explains why children are at times like roses. Then she gives Katie a rose bush to take home with her and of course she plays all the way home. The next few pages have pictures of trees, roses, babies walking and children reading. Each section explains how growth happens in a unique way for each flower, tree, child, etc. A special section at the end of the book gives a list of people who bloomed at their own time including, Albert Einstein, Grandma Moses, Michael Jordan and even Karen Gedig Burnett. A note to parents, grandparents, teachers and all who love and care for children gives advice on how to support and respect children who are late bloomers. As a late bloomer myself, I can say I understood Katie's need to enjoy the world and live in the moment. I've always thought we all grow up way too fast and children do learn through play and through creative stories. Karen and Laurie create loving gifts for the world. The stories are positive and the art is just a delight. I love all the creatures roaming about in their books. This one has snakes, baby birds, ants, hiking mice, singing frogs, bees, blue birds, dogs and cats and tiny yellow chicks. This book could also be used for counting how many of each type of animal you find on each page. Karen Gedig Burnett worked as an elementary school counselor for over twenty years and her wisdom is very apparent. Laurie Barrows' artwork is playful and humorous and she brings a vibrant touch to every book she illustrates. Also look for these valuable books/lessons: If the World were Blind The Magical, Marvelous Megan G. Beamer Simon's Hook ~The Rebecca Review

Katie's Rose: A Tale Of Two Late Bloomers provides young readers ages 5 and older (along with their parents) with an enduring message of acceptance and support in a graphic manner enabling them to understand and appreciate the uniqueness in each child and the individualization of the talents and abilities. That like every rose, every child will bloom in it's own time and in it's own shade. Karen Burnett's has a superb gift for storytelling that is wonderfully augmented by Laurie Barrows as an artist in this superbly crafted and presented picturebook story with its inspiring, insightful moral.