David Smiles By D. Holmes
A wonderful children s book that beautifully illustrates the power of kindness and friendship The story follows David a shy boy who learns to embrace his true self with the help of his friend Mary As they navigate through the ups and downs of childhood readers are reminded of the importance of reaching out to others and the joy that comes from genuine connections What I loved most about this book is its simple yet powerful message delivered in a way that resonates with both children and adults alike Paperback This was a cheerful story with special bright pictures Definitely for a younger reader I was blessed with a free ARC and I m leaving my review voluntarily Paperback In a Nutshell Lovely illustrations good intent silly story EDITING TO ADD It has been brought to my notice that the author of this picture book is a young boy of nine which I was not aware of while reading or reviewing it As such I do feel sad that the book didn t click better for me You may still want to give the book a try to support a budding young author However I want to emphasize that my reviews are always about books and never authors As such I am not editing my original review or even my rating which as per Goodreads rating policy indicates that I did not like the book I hope my feedback is taken as constructive criticism and the young writer can enhance his storytelling the next time around Good luck and best wishes Original and unedited review below Sorry but I have no choice but to reveal the whole story of this picture book There s no other way I can explain my negative feelings David a shy little boy of unspecified age he might be 5 or 6 gets distracted and has an accident while riding his bicycle when he sees a beautiful girl playing by the road. David KNOWS that the girl is kind because she is beautiful This has to be among the worst non sequiturs ever He also realises how much he liked her and wanted to be around her Mind you they haven t even met yet He s only seen her once David walks around the whole block to look for the girl Apparently his injuries are insignificant enough to be forgotten When he returns home disappointed he finds the girl waiting for him David s first line to her after introducing his name is I kid you not I was just out looking for you You are so pretty and I wanted to tell you that I really like you Really young David For a shy guy you sure go straight to the point Instead of being creeped out the girl also declares that she really likes David David smiles and the two become best friends Official Moral of the Story Being around a kind person makes you smile. Everyone happy except for moi smacks forehead This book is nothing but a collection of red flags The story is creepy and the message isn t even clear forget about being right Going from looks good to is kind is a huge leap of logic and not even an accurate one The story should explore the whys of such a weird assumption. Also was David around unkind people all his life or was he just shy If he was shy how did he decide to go look for the beautiful girl all alone and even declared his feelings for her without skipping a beat ALSO going to look for the girl simply because you found her beautiful Ugh The blurb says David Smiles teaches us that a simple act of kindness can make someone s world much brighter Good message except that it doesn t come out from this story I have never ever given any children s book just a single star in my life I feel horrible but I cannot be kind to a book with such a storyline and allow impressionable children to reach an incorrect takeaway Who needs shallow humans around Oh and just to clarify the sole star belongs entirely to the illustrations they are gorgeous inside as on the cover art Apologies to the team behind the book but there s no way I can recommend this It needs major edits before it can pass muster as a children s story. My thanks to Leaf Literature LLC and NetGalley for the DRC of David Smiles This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book Sorry this didn t work out better Connect with me through My Blog The StoryGraph Instagram X Twitter Facebook Paperback David is a shy boy who crashes his bike and gets embarrassed but brushes himself off and makes an amazing friend It s a sweet story and the illustrations are beautiful My toddler really liked the story. Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader Paperback Alright listen up young readers David Smiles is the kind of book that ll tug at your heartstrings and leave you grinning from ear to ear Picture this you ve got David this shy little dude who s about as lively as a rock until BAM Along comes Mary spreading kindness like confetti at a party Suddenly David s whole world lights up and you re there for the ride This book ain t just about smiling it s about the ripple effect of one small act of kindness So if you re looking for a feel good read that ll leave you with a goofy grin plastered on your face grab a copy of David Smiles and get ready for some serious warm fuzzies Paperback
| David Smiles By D. Holmes |
| 9798989412686 |
| English |
| 34 |
| Paperback |
Very sweet book by a young writer It talks about not being scared to show emotions and how a small gesture can help someone come out of their shell Really enjoyed it Paperback.: David injured and taken home by his mom still thinks about the girl because she is beautiful