Wings of Olympus: The Colt of the Clouds: Guest review

This guest review was written by nine-year-old Shazdeh K.

Written by Kallie George

Illustrated by Celia Krampien

HarperCollins Canada

978-0-06274-154-7

256 pp.

Ages 8-12

April 2020 

Wings of Olympus: The Colt of the Clouds is the sequel to Wings of Olympus by author Kallie George about a young girl Pippa and her beloved horse Zephyr.

Pippa is now banned from Mount Olympus but is happily living with her friend Bas and her horse Zephyr, also known as Zeph. One day while she is riding Zeph, Pippa sees something she thought she would never see again: a winged horse! Pippa knows she needs to get the colt back to the mountain where it belongs, but there is one problem: she has been banished from Mount Olympus by Zeus, the king of the gods and goddesses. But Pippa, who is a lover of horses, sets a goal to get the colt, whom she names Tazo, home, even if it means getting punished by the gods. With the help of Hero, the not-so-heroic descendant of Hercules, Pippa finally gets to the mountain. When Hero and Pippa get to the top of the mountain, they find everything is in chaos, with all the gods at war and all the winged horses missing! Can Pippa and Hero stop the gods' war, find the winged horses, and return Tazo home safely?

I liked this book because it was thrilling and heartwarming at the same time. It’s a book about bravery, courage, friendship, and love. Another thing I liked about this book was that it was full of fantasy so while reading it I could get away from the real world. It gave me a chance to be part of another world. Wings of Olympus: The Colt of the Clouds should definitely be on your summer reading list. This book is a great addition to Wings of Olympus, so if you liked the first book, you are sure to like the second. In my opinion this book is best suited for Grades 3 to 6 and I would rate Kallie George’s Wings of Olympus: The Colt of the Clouds a 9 out of 10.

~ Written by Shazdeh K., Gr. 3

Sunny

Written and illustrated by Celia Krampien

Roaring Brook Press

978-1-250-31660-8

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

February 2020

It may be raining outside but, with Sunny around, it's never dull and gloomy.

As all the children trudge to school in the rain "while the wind crawls up your sleeves and puddles soak your boats, making your footsteps squish and squash," Sunny sees the positive: she gets to use her big yellow umbrella.

From Sunny by Celia Krampien

Others might think it scary to be picked up by a huge gust of wind and carried high above the town but Sunny, with her joyful disposition, enjoys the feeling of flying like a bird.  And when she's flung above the sea, she enjoys watching the waves before she is dropped into a boat. Then when she's catapulted by a big wave onto a rock, she "thought things weren't that bad because at least she wasn't alone."

From Sunny by Celia Krampien

But, when her gull companion leaves her alone, it's the one moment when she almost loses that sunny attitude. Fortunately, he returns with some friends and rope and they carry her and the boat safely to the school yard.

From Sunny by Celia Krampien

Now, most people would say that being late for school was a bad kind of situation.
But not Sunny.

From Sunny by Celia Krampien

Sunny may be the story of a little girl who goes on an amazing adventure that causes her to be late for school but it's really a story about attitude. Debut author-illustrator Celia Krampien contrasts the glass half-empty and glass half-full attitudes for each scenario which Sunny finds herself in. Most of us would see rain while she sees the opportunity to use her umbrella. We might see only distress but she sees joy in what she is doing and with whom she is spending time. Celia Krampien's signature colour scheme (see her website at http://www.celiakrampien.com/) highlights that contrast of attitudes of most versus Sunny. Sunny's yellow umbrella, rain jacket and boots stand out from the teals and turquoises, sometimes darker and sometimes lighter, of the rainy day and tumultuous sea. The balance of light and dark keeps the story grounded, never too cheery or dismal, and the right blend of imagination with reality.

In our troubling times when many are worried and upset about everything from illness to the changes in their routines and way of doing things, seeing the world as Sunny does would make it a whole lot easier to weather. She still gets to school in the end, just as we'll get through this too. It may be a different way than we had planned but, with an optimism like Sunny's, it may be more manageable.