Michelle Lord

Through rhyme and beautiful artwork of the sea, awareness of the problem trash has caused hits a clear note before gliding in with several solutions.

This is a book with a purpose: to raise awareness of the large trash problem currently ruining our oceans and seas. The author uses a repetitive (and very familiar) rhyming to bring the point home. It's not only easy and catchy for young listeners to join in on, but cleverly builds...much like the garbage situation. But simply showing a problem show more doesn't round things off. This book also ends with hope and offers solutions along the way.

The illustrations are beautiful...if not bitter-sweet, since they do clear drive the point of ocean pollution home. While the rhyme makes each moment clear, the illustrations really touch the heart. Especially the sea life is wonderfully depicted and invites for gazing, among the garbage, of course. It's a well-balanced mix, which makes sure the message hits with full strength.

Not only does do the last pages of the book show a light at the end of the tunnel and illustrate that it's not a lost situation, but there are extra pages at the end, which give more detail. Each scene (or poem line) is give more information on how it affects the environment. Then, a suggestion is offered as to how each specific problem can be helped.

For anyone wanting to raise awareness concerning ocean pollution, this is a wonderful book to grab up and use.

I received a complimentary copy and found the book beautifully done. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts. show less

I had mixed feelings about this book after reading it. I liked the book because the story was very detailed and gave a lot of background knowledge. For example, the author explained, on page six, why there was fighting in Cambodia; “While Cambodia remained neutral, the war between the United States and Cambodia’s neighbor Vietnam had often spilled across the border”. But I didn’t like how “dark” the book was. I was surprised that the author included a scene in the book where the show more teacher and not talented khim players were killed. In my opinion, that scene makes the book directed toward older readers. The big idea of the book is music can bring people together and can save a dying culture. show less

Wow! This book took me on an emotional journey. This is one of those books I just happened upon and read with no context at all. When it first started I was enjoying the relaxing rhythm of the writing and the beautiful pictures then all of a sudden it started becoming darker and tackled the bigger problem of humans on earth. Just when I thought the book was going to end with a dark turn of blaming people it turned again and showed us how we can help the problems facing the waters. For such a show more short book to take me on such a roller-coaster of a ride was a pleasant surprise. show less

Reason read: While I was reading Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields by Dith Pran I kept thinking about a high school mate of mine named Arn Chorn-Pond. From the day that I met him I knew he had a pretty horrific story to tell, but here's what I remember most about my time with Arn: he was thoughtful and kind and warm. To talk to him you would never know of the atrocities he witnessed and suffered in 1975 as a small boy in Cambodia. We were not close in high school. We were not even what show more you would call friends, but there was an unspoken respect for his integrity and grace. This book, Song for Cambodia is a powerful message for children: music heals.

Even though this is a book for children, as I said before, it speaks volumes about how music can create beauty. show less