Reviews for Memory String

The average rating for Memory String based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-11-05 00:00:00 Joel Dunkelberger After the loss of her Mother three years ago, young Laura is adapting to life with her new stepmother, Jane. It's difficult for Laura to see her Father so happy with Jane, the way he used to be with Mother, and she's having a hard time with Jane filling this role. To remind her of happier times in the past, Laura carries a cherished memory string with her filled with buttons from various garments worn by her Mother, Father, and herself. As she's looking over the buttons and remembering life with her mother, her cat, Whiskers, jumps from her lap, breaking the memory string and scattering the buttons in the grass. Laura, Jane, and Father intently search for the lost buttons, finding all but one, her Mother's favorite. As Laura goes to bed that night feeling sad, Jane initiates a final search for the button and locates it. When Laura finds the button in the morning, she realizes Jane was responsible for finding it, and a relationship of love and understanding begins to form. The pictures in this book accurately reflect the text in a way that is easy for readers to follow along and relate with. The events in the story are portrayed using expressions and colors that give the reader a vivid understanding of emotion and detail. We see the happiness that exists between Father and Jane, the colorful buttons that are representative of Laura's past, and the sadness she feels when the missing button cannot be located. We also see a true love begin to emerge between Daughter and Stepmother as Laura realizes the effort that Jane put into finding the missing button. I think this book is an excellent teaching tool for young children who may be experiencing the effects of a divorce or the separation that is felt with the loss of a loved one. Although there is a void left when these changes occur, we have ways of remembering our past and keeping the memories close to our heart. The message in this story implies that if we keep an open heart and mind when these voids open up, we can once again fill them with love and joy, at the same time keeping the memories of our past cherished and alive. The content in the book may be better suited for elementary age students who are able to comprehend the ideas of changes that occur in our lives. However, the message presented in the book provides many different opportunities for learners of all ages to benefit from, and can be applied to other life lessons as well. The idea of creating something to remember a part of our life or an accomplishment is certainly one way of incorporating this book into an everyday lesson. It could also be used to introduce someone new to the classroom, such as a long term substitute teacher or a new student.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-03-17 00:00:00 William Nicholson Greg: Here read this book your pre-schooler chose at random and that I have no idea what is. Sarah: [reads] Ha ha that darn cat. Sarah: [reads] OH GOD LIFE IS FRAGILE I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH [sobs]