Title: Connected Through Love: Verbunde dür d`Liebi
Author: Mirjam Stampfli
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 978-1-5434-0825-6
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Bi-Lingual
Pages: 44
Reviewed by: Beth Adams

Read Book Review

I must say that I have never seen a book quite like this – it is a masterpiece introducing children to be worldly aware of the differences of animals and language from one side to the other side of the planet. Author Mirjam Stampfli has created a unique book with her double title: Connected Through Love ~ Verbunde dür d`Liebi. Each of the pages have English and Swiss German, spoken by the majority of the native population of Switzerland.

From a home in Europe, a bird named Leon travels to Australia, leaving behind all those he loves and most all of his possessions. Needing to find a new nest in a world with a different language and odd customs, the challenges are immense; but he meets and falls in bird-love with a lovely parrot named Kalina, who lived “next nest.” Leon and Kalina enjoy each other and eventually move into a new nest together to raise a family. Yet something strange happens when Leon feels a pain in his chest. What is it? Is it a heart attack?

As it turns out it is Leon being homesick, and after overcoming the ailment by realizing that he is double blessed – that by having friends back in his original home and his new love in his life; all the happiness comes together. As an epilog to the book, Mirjam Stampfli provides a step-by-step lesson on how to construct a paper heart, using origami folding techniques, which add a further dimension into the book, thus becoming a project workbook.

Connected Through Love ~ Verbunde dür d`Liebi is a love story in a fable genre, a language guide to read the translations between English and Swiss German, an illustration collection of artistic drawings, and a workbook for readers to make their own paper heart. There are so many wonderful take-aways from this truly one-of-a-kind book. It is a perfect gift to children all around the world.