HEART OF THE OAK
by
J.L. NOVINSKY
Genre: Children's / Nature / Life Cycle
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing
Publication Date: November 15, 2017
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing
Publication Date: November 15, 2017
Number of Pages: 36 pages
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE GIVEAWAY!
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE GIVEAWAY!
He’s old and weathered; his skin is rough and knotty. But he has memories of joy, of love, and of tragedy. He has endured many years and felt the sorrow of so much loss. But his greatest joy is just ahead!
PURCHASE THE BOOK
Amazon ┃ Barnes & Noble ┃ iTunes
✪✪✪✪✪
“He spent his days
leaning into the warm breezes,
loving the music of
the wind.”
HALL WAYS REVIEW: Siiiiiiigh. I love this book
so much -- but talk about tugging on the heartstrings. Heart of the Oak by J.L. Novinsky is a beautiful story that touches
and teaches about many subjects: the cycle of life, nature and nurturing, and actions
and their consequences. It has much to offer to readers of all ages.
I first saw this book at the
Fort Worth Book Festival in the fall of 2018, and I remember how the
illustrations pulled me into the book. But my being at a book festival was much
like a kid being in a candy store, and I didn’t take the time to really read
and relish the book. In hindsight, it’s probably good that I didn’t because I
would have been a blubbery mess. When I finally did read it, tears welled-up
several times as I turned the pages and my heart broke for the poor old oak. By
the book’s resolution, the tears spilled over -- this time from the happy,
uplifting ending.
When I saw that the
publisher was Christian Faith Publishing, I assumed that the book
was going to have a religious aspect to it. I was wrong. The book isn’t religious
or preachy in any way, though I do see how someone could take his/her own faith
and beliefs and transfer them to the story. It is amazing that such a short
story can say so many things and mean so many different things to each reader.
“Happiness is
fleeting. It can be crushed under
the pitiless boot of
tragedy in an instant.”
Author Novinsky successfully
incorporates a number of literary devices in her writing and the effect is
powerful. For young readers, it could be too intense and emotional, so I’d
suggest the book as a read-along for the little ones. With its elevated
vocabulary and imagery, the book would be a great resource for educators to use for teaching literary devices and figurative language to older readers. For all readers,
Heart of the Oak is a wonderful
reading experience that I highly recommend – and I recommend it in print over eBook
format because it wasn’t satisfying to hug my iPad. (The Grammar Policewoman would have issued a
minor warning for a few issues, but I told her to buzz-off this time. Nothing
was raining on this reading parade.)
Though I bought the eBook
myself, thank you to the author for providing me a print copy that I read with
absolutely no strings attached. My review is my honest opinion – the only kind
I give.
Praise for HEART OF THE OAK from Amazon reviewers!
"Such a great book with a heartfelt story!""My children and I LOVE this book. We had a wonderful and insightful conversation after we read it."
J.L. (Joan) Novinsky was born just outside of Chicago, but she got to Texas as fast as she could! Joan started college at age 55, and while taking a Creative Writing class, she wrote her first story, Heart of the Oak. Joan has now written a second children’s book, Horace and Giselle, available for on-line purchase January 2019. She was married to Bob in 1992, had a son, Stephen, in 1998, then in 2001, she and her husband took on the challenge and excitement of adopting a boy from St. Petersburg, Russia. Andrei joined the family in 2002, and the family resides just north of Dallas with their various and numerous pets.
-------------------------------------
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
First Prize: Signed Copy + Bookmark + $25 Amazon GC; Second Prize: Signed Copy + Bookmark + $10 Starbucks GC; Third Prize: Signed Copy + Bookmark
JANUARY 3-13, 2019
(USA only)
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
|
1/3/19
|
Book Trailer
|
|
|
1/4/19
|
Review
|
|
|
1/5/19
|
Review
|
|
|
1/6/19
|
Guest Post
|
|
|
1/7/19
|
Review
|
|
|
1/8/19
|
Sneak Peek
|
|
|
1/9/19
|
Character Interview
|
|
|
1/10/19
|
Review
|
|
|
1/11/19
|
Notable Quotable
|
|
|
1/12/19
|
Review
|
|
|
1/13/19
|
BONUS Review
|
blog tour services provided by
Oh my goodness, Kristine, you made me cry! Thank you so much for your beautiful thoughts and words for my story! So glad you love it!
ReplyDelete