Title: The Enchanted Forest
Author: Gail Bellucci
Publisher: Author’s Tranquility Press
ISBN: 978-1-964810-08-9
Pages: 28
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Reviewed by: Carol Davala
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Pacific Book Review
Author Gail Bellucci’s The Enchanted Forest is a delightful little children’s story which teaches young readers about friendship, forests, and rainbows.
The enchanted forest is a magical place run by a lady named Blossom. Lavender flowers sprout from her head, and she travels about the forest with her three helpers Ariel, Athena, and Aura, to check on her friends. In the forest they stop arguments between birds and untangle those that get caught up in the growing vines. The highlight of this landscape is the colorful rainbow where the forest creatures hide and play. Here a rainbow appears every day, meant to be shared. Sliding down the rainbow arc, the flowers, insects, animals, and humans all enjoy its festival of colors created as a seven layer spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Bellucci weaves an uncomplicated thread of lessons into the story conveying how we should all try to get along, be courteous and helpful toward friends, and how we will reap the good feelings and reward of their thanks. There is also a hint of the popular “Where’s Waldo” here, as Bellucci adds a creative guessing game element to the story. She suggests readers search out the hidden characters, give names to those newly discovered, and create a new story of their own. In addition, she showcases facts about rainbows noting there are two different types, as well as explaining the elements of rain and light that cause a rainbow to appear.
Bellucci is also the illustrator of the accompanying artwork for the narrative. The visual images are bright, full-color, whimsical pastel drawings. Cleverly, we see a blue-eyed human peeking out through a wild array of flora and fauna. There are birds, butterflies, and tiny creatures (both human and animal) hiding amidst the lush, green forest growth. In this world of crazy birds, blue caterpillars, and rising suns, we get to see the true beauty of a rainbow.
The Enchanted Forest proves a simple little story with a charming and heartfelt message. Gail Bellucci has written a timeless story that is sure to become a favorite for bedtime reading.
