Title: Children’s Stories by Grandma Dee Dee
Author: Delores Dee Ray
Publisher: Westwood Books Publishing LLC
ISBN: 978-1-949006-88-9
Pages: 126
Genre: Children’s Short Story Collection
Reviewed by: Arnold Carreiro
Pacific Book Review
It didn’t take long as I began to read through Delores “Dee Dee” Ray’s hodgepodge of tales from Children’s Stories by Grandma Dee Dee, before I had realized that Dee Dee was not a professional author, however this collection of day dreams, fairy tales, recollections from days gone by, and other humble stories are so heartfelt, earnest, and stacked with sincerity, that one cannot finish this book without having your heart warmed by the authentic feeling of reading a kind grandmother’s treasured stories as she herself would reminisce about them, all the while thinking back upon the loved ones in your own life- especially the ones who took the time to tell sweet stories to you when you were only knee-high to a grasshopper.
I also enjoyed the illustrations, especially the ones of the church mouse family and Dee Dee’s grasshopper friend, but I wish that they were in full color, and there were even more of these special pencil-lined pictures, especially since they perfectly matched the images I had in my mind as I followed her respective stories. It is clear that this compendium’s origins come from an era that predates the Internet, personal computers, and smartphones, and the majority of these stories have their roots firmly planted in the realm of a child’s active imagination, and they’re all the better for it. I’d much rather be floating on pink clouds and traveling the galaxy with elven magic than scrolling through Twitter any day of the week!
Children’s Stories by Grandma Dee Dee performs a great balancing act between syrupy musings from her own childhood and taking the reader through adorable little fantasy adventures, while imparting little nuggets of hope, happiness, and positivity along the way. For every story of dancing lollipops or talking bullfrogs, there is a message about giving your problems to the universe or listening to God, and these classical musings don’t simply hold up well in this modern age, they are a breath of fresh air as told from a delightful perspective that I firmly believe that young children will enjoy and appreciate for many years to come- especially if they are read to them by someone who loves them very much, as Dee Dee surely has to be the little loved ones in her life.
Children’s Stories by Grandma Dee Dee is a light and breezy collection that is good on its own, is at its very best when read as intended: to young children by those in their lives who love them very much.
