Cynthia Bardes

Pansy at the Palace is a delightful children's picture book about the adventures of a little, brown poodle named Pansy. Pansy is the first person narrator, and she begins her story with her adoption at the animal shelter by a little girl named Avery who takes her to live at the Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills. With so many unwanted pets in the world, I really appreciated the author's advocation of pet adoption, even for wealthy folks who can afford to buy one instead. Pansy is very happy in her new life at the hotel with Avery, but one day, the hotel guests' jewelry starts disappearing. Pansy literally smells something fishy and swoops in to save the day by catching the thief.

The illustrations are positively adorable. The pictures are very emotive. You can really see how much Avery loves her new friend, and how happy and excited Pansy is. The illustrations are done in a style with soft colors that make them very pretty and pleasing to look at. They bring the characters to life and instill a lot of warmth in the story.

The $17.95 cover price (at the website) may seems a tad pricey, but the book is beautifully put together in a hardcover format with thick, sturdy pages reminiscent of card stock. It should stand up well to the wear and tear of little hands turning the pages.

This was Cynthia Bardes first book, and she did a wonderful job with it. I really enjoyed both the story and the illustrations. Together, they left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling, and I'm sure children would have fun with this cute book too. I hope Ms. Bardes might have more adventures in store for Pansy, and if she does, I would be very interested in reading them.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author's PR director via the publicist, Bostick Communications, in exchange for an honest review.… (more)

Pansy at the Palace follows little Pansy after she is adopted from the local animal shelter and taken home to the Beverly Hills Palace Hotel. Pansy is spunky and loved by her new owners, as well as the hotel staff. The story is sweet and well written. The art is appealing and there is enough going on in the pictures so that children can enjoy looking at them even if they can't read. However, the family's obvious affluence is never addressed and I found their lifestyle hard to relate to. They have snacks in the tea room, lunch by the pool on the roof-terrace and chefs, valets, drivers, and doormen are an everyday part of life. I can easily imagine parents having to explain socio-eonomic strata to their five-year-old after being asked why everyone doesn't live like that. Despite that, it really is a cute little book that my children and I enjoyed. The book itself is of high quality, good thick paper etc.… (more)

Pansy in Paris
A Mystery at the Museum
written by Cynthia Bardes
Illustrations by Virginia Best

Reviewing this 32 page children's mystery masterpiece brought waves of warmth and well being right into my soul. This simple sweet canine who-done-it had me laughing one minute and pondering the next. The courageous author with her quick wit and creativity took me half the way and the amazing vivid and expressive illustrations took me the rest of the way. This wee one has easily made it onto my nightstand for those times when sleep eludes me. I would recommend this little bundle of dynamite to anyone who wants to feel love in it's purest form. Thank you both, for a blessed ride.

Love & Light,

Riki Frahmann… (more)