Jennifer Carson

Well.

It was a snowy night in January when I curled up with Hapenny Magick and, I'm glad to say, it warmed my heart, indeed.

What a charming book! I must pause here for a moment to rave about the illustrations. They are, in short, breath-taking. The whimsy of Jennifer's voice is infused into Pat Ann's illustrations. Her characters really come to life--and what characters they are!

Mean, spiteful Gelbane, the Guardian of our feisty heroine, Maewyn, storms off the page and Callum, the wizard, show more has a beard so flowing, I swear it really did tickle my nose ;o).

This brings me to the book, itself: a more engrossing adventure for children, I have not read, in years. Hapenny Magick is a somewhat traditional tale, with poor orphaned Maewyn left at the clutches of evil Gelbane at the start, but she is no shrinking violet waiting for her Prince to save the day. No. When a strange, talking crow lures her away from enslavement to the comparative bliss of a Wood Wizard's cozy home, Mae discovers that, small as she may be, her destiny is great.

I don't want to ruin the story by leaving any spoilers, but some of the things I love best about Mae are her courage, sense of duty, and sense of self-reliance. Before it's over, Mae needs to save herself, her friends, and her whole village from an army of hungry Trolls, and it'll take more than just her magickal talents, to do it.

Does Mae find the strength to persevere and triumph? I'll leave you to find out.

Hapenny Magick is a thoroughly engaging, lovely fairy tale for children of all ages. Jennifer's skillful prose weaves Magick and whimsy into every line. What a joy it was to read this book. show less

This is a sweet book. Esmerelda is a star. I love that even when things were not going right at the ballet audition that she did not give up. Everyone needs a Harold in their life. He really was Esmerelda's biggest supporter and friend. He helped Esmerelda through her audition to become Prima Ballerina. Which just goes to show that if you don't give up and have good friends that believe in you, anything is possible. Dreams do come true.

If you are an aspiring stuffed animal maker with a few projects under your belt, you will be able to take your craft to the next level with Beyond Bears.
Jennifer Carson walks you through her design process to create one-of-a-kind animals with hand drawn illustrations and a few photos for inspiration. You will learn how to source mohair, Ultrasuede, joint systems, types of stuffing and other materials common to custom animals and bears, learn what tools are required and even how to dye show more mohair for a unique creation.
You will explore patterning and see how your initial design can bring personality to your animals then move through basic assembly steps to hand finishing the faces, movable joints, and other details.
Not ready to create your own pattern yet? Jennifer includes 6 templates for you to try. You can make a Gryphon, elephant, pig, tiger, dragon or Chriacus (an extinct mammal that looks a little like a kinkajou) with her patterns.
Expect to stretch your creative muscles and test your patience with fiddly little pieces as you enter the world of custom stuffed animals. Pamela H Snohomish CTA show less

Dragons Don't Dance Ballet is such a cute little story by Jennifer Carson. I adored Esmerelda right from the start. I loved how she refused to give up and how Harold was not about to let her. It has so many lessons that we all learn from. Which includes:
The beauty of friendship
Be a supportive friend
Never Give Up
If you try hard enough, you will fulfill your dreams
Just because someone is not like you, it does not mean they can not do the same things as you
Be kind and not tear others down
I show more know this story is geared to children, but I know many adults could use it to be reminded of those lessons, as well.

I loved the addition of the illustrations by Eric Afuso in Dragons Don't Dance Ballet. The pictures perfectly match the story. Some of them were funny to see, too. It was great seeing my little one’s light up when they would see each scene on the following pages.

Dragons Don't Dance Ballet is getting a very well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who are between the ages of four and nine. I believe Esmerelda is a wonderful role model for all ages really. I hope to read more by Jennifer Carson in the future. This one is wonderful addition for any family’s book shelf.

I received Dragons Don't Dance Ballet from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. show less