REVIEW by DAVID NEWELL

American TV actor, David Newell is best known for his role as Mr. McFeely, the delivery man on the U.S kids show “Mr Roger’s Neighborhood. He also worked in the PR department of Fred Rogers Productions and was a close friend of the famous presenter.

He was kind enough to write this wonderful review of "Annie Flickerfall" ....

"The first time I read ANNIE, I read it out loud.  I liked the rhyming verse. It’s a perfect choice because as one read the words, they sound so musical and the story moves along like a song. I could hear the songs of the fairy choir, the fanfare of the elfin band and the sounds of the winter’s storm.

The Illustrations by Delwyn Sugden are charming and whimsical and complement the musical text perfectly.

When the narrator and Annie first meet on the beach, I could hear music in the background as Annie helped guide the boats away from danger and made sure that the turtle didn’t get stuck in the sand. To me, their friendship was sealed when Annie flew and retrieved the little girl’s hat. What a wonderful life lesson for the children who are reading the book or having the book read to them.

There are so many passages though out the book that are life lessons.  If I were reading the book to my grandchildren, I would stop every so often and talk about how Annie and the little girl are becoming friends. The fact that Annie invites her to the Queen Fairy’s naming day ceremony is certainly one example. The pride which the little girl feels for Annie as she receives the highest honor that can be bestowed by the Queen, is another.

Their friendship becomes even closer when after the ceremony they remain and talk for hours about “magic and cupcakes and horses and flowers.”  When Annie reaches into the “wishing tree” and pulls out the small heart made of fairy dust, that, to me, is the symbol of everlasting friendship.  I might stop reading at this point and ask my grandchildren if they had any thoughts about the fairy dust and glittering gold heart.  I hope that they might say that the heart gift is the heart of friendship.

I liked how the generations are brought together at the end of the story, as the heart of friendship is being passed on to the granddaughter. The last sentence is lovely, “For the gift of eternity lives on and on, even after our time here on earth is done.”

Thank you for your contribution to children’s literature.  “ANNIE FLICKERFALL” gives the gift of learning about love, faith and friendship to all who read your story.  Something tells me that somewhere along the way, someone once asked you the question, “You can see them?”......and you shouted “I DO!” Could Tamsin be the narrator in the story of ANNIE FLICKERFALL? If I were asked if I thought so, I would also shout, “ I DO!”