Strawberry Sunglasses
Written: May 01 '08 (Updated May 01 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Bright, colorful book that teaches about asking for forgiveness
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: I recommend this book for girls who are fans of Strawberry Shortcake.
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| fresita's Full Review: Megan E. Bryant - Strawberry Shortcake at the Beac... |
I love reading Strawberry Shortcake stories to my daughters, since I grew up in the 80's when everything Strawberry Shortcake was popular. Thankfully, my girls also get to enjoy Strawberry Shortcake and her friends, although with a new, updated look. In "Strawberry Shortcake at the Beach," the friends all prepare to take advantage of the sunny weather.
Synopisis:
As Strawberry Shortcake and her little sister, Apple Dumplin', get ready to go to the beach, Strawberry Shortcake remembers to wear her new strawberry sunglasses. When Angel Cake sees them, she asks if she could borrow them for the day. Strawberry Shortcake agrees, but asks Angel Cake to be careful with them.
As the kids are all busy playing, a huge wave comes and knocks Angel Cake over. The strawberry sunglasses fall off, and before long Angel Cake accidently steps on them and breaks them. She feels too bad about it to tell Strawberry Shortcake, so she hides them in her bag. At the end of the day, when Strawberry Shortcake asks for her sunglasses back, Angel Cake asks if she could return them the next day instead. Strawberry Shortcake agrees, and everyone heads home for the evening.
Sitting at home with her pet, Vanilla Icing, Angel Cake feels even worse, so she decides to go ask Ginger Snap for advice. Ginger Snap offers to go with her to Strawberry Shortcake's house to tell her what happened.
To Angel Cake's relief, Strawberry Shortcake isn't mad, although she does feel bad that her favorite sunglasses are ruined. Ginger Snap, who happens to be carrying her toolbox with her (yeah, I make it a point to always carry mine wherever I go), solves everything by gluing the sunglasses back together.
My Thoughts:
This is a bright, colorful book with many different backgrounds. At the beginning, Strawberry Shortcake and Apple Dumplin' are in their house, so the predominant colors are pink, red and green. After that, the group of friends meet outside, where green trees and grass dominate.
Most of the story takes place on the beach, with yellow and orange sand, bright blue skies and water, and a cheerful yellow sun. Once inside Angel Cake's home, pink and blue take over, before switching to the oranges and reds of Ginger Snap's home, then back to Strawberry Shortcake's pink, red and green for the rest of the book.
Although Huck, the only boy character, is a part of this story, it's definitely a book for girls.
There are six characters in this story. The first, and best-known, is the red-headed, brown-eyed Strawberry Shortcake. Second is her younger sister, Apple Dumplin', who has green eyes and blond hair. Next are the blond-haired, blue-eyed Angel Cake and the medium-skinned, brown-eyed Ginger Snap with bluish-black hair. The two characters with minor roles are brown-haired, brown-eyed Huck and dark-skinned, brown-eyed Orange Blossom, who has curly, dark hair.
The only pet to appear in this story is Angel Cake's lamb, Vanilla Icing. I don't understand why all the pets and so many of the characters' names where changed for the most recent line of Strawberry Shortcake. During the 80's, Angel Cake's pet was Soufflé the purple skunk. Now, instead, she has a purple lamb with white wool named Vanilla Icing. Maybe the designers thought the lamb matched her overall light coloring better? I don't know, but I wish they would have kept all the characters, pets and names the same.
This book teaches a couple of important lessons. The first is about admitting one's mistakes and apologizing. Angel Cake finds that by waiting to tell Strawberry Shortcake what she's done, she only makes herself feel worse.
The second lesson is about forgiveness and knowing what's really important. Although Strawberry Shortcake is sad to see her favorite sunglasses broken, she quickly forgives Angel Cake, telling her that the important thing is that she didn't get hurt when the wave knocked her down.
My daughters like this book, with its bright, colorful pictures and interesting plot that has a happy ending for all.
Written by Megan E. Bryant and illustrated by SI Artists.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fresita
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Location: USA
Reviews written: 161
Trusted by: 29 members
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