The
English Roses are four little girls who were the best of friends
and did everything together. Yes,
everything. Even
ostracizing another little girl just because she was very beautiful
(and smart and kind and everything else you’d want to be).
The four girls were all quite jealous and thought the
beautiful Binah’s life was much more wonderful than theirs.
But one night during a slumber party, a no-nonsense fairy
godmother paid a visit to the girls.
She explained that since they were always grumbling about
how unfair their lives were compared to Binah’s, she would give
them the opportunity to trade places.
So the girls were sprinkled with magic fairy dust and snuck
a peek at Binah’s life, only to discover that she was a very
lonely, hard worked little girl whose mother had died.
Of course, the girls were shocked and none of them chose to
trade places. Instead,
they wanted to return right away to their own easy lives, complete
with loving mothers. From
that day on, the girls promised to be kinder to Binah. Then
they became the five little girls who were the best of
friends and did everything together.
I
must admit that even though I’m a Madonna fan, I was a bit
skeptical about her writing for children.
After reading the book, though, I was impressed and decided
to review it even though it isn’t geared toward our usual age
group (but aren’t we all young at heart).
Madonna is able to tell the story at a child’s level but
in a “talking up” way – treating them more like little grown
ups instead of small girls. Also,
the illustrations are just gorgeous, bursting with color and
pizzazz. The book is
sure to be a hit with the Bratz crowd.
Proceeds
from The English Roses are donated to a children’s charity.
Give one to your favorite little girlfriend and keep one for
the little girl in you. Santa
Claus will be leaving one under the tree for my sweet little 6 year
old.
About
the author: Madonna
Ritchie was born in
