The Wildwood Bakery

Eva and her classmates are planning a fundraiser to help a student purchase a "wing-chair" to help with her physical disability. But the two groups of classmates soon find themselves competing against each other to "win" the most fundraising dollars, forgetting all about the good intentions behind the project.

This is another short and sweet book in the Owl Diaries series. This series is very popular among young elementary school students, and it's easy to see why. It is a chapter book, which can make children feel accomplished after reading it, but the chapters are short and chockful of colorful illustrations. And it's a series that can really be read in any order, as each book's first chapter gives a brief overview of Eva and her life show more (including the full cast of characters).

While the handling of a child with a disability is maybe not the most deftly done here, it's still good to see the representation. And, don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible depiction -- it's just that the disability is more of an impetus for the plot than a hard look at what that child's struggles may be. It's nice to see the other characters working together toward a common goal, even if they do get off track a little bit, and everyone being understanding and accepting of the child with a disability. There are other positive traits shown throughout the book, such as strong family ties, polite asking of favors, and general sharing in good fortune.

The book ends with a few questions to test reading comprehension. Overall, this is a solid read for youngsters. show less

{My thoughts} – Eva and her classmates decide they won’t to open up a bakery and a candy shop. They decide they will use the funds earned to help a classmates sister get a special chair she needs to help her fly.

The first night they are open they earn enough for the chair. The second night both shops merge together after working out their differences and earn enough to buy the needed things for a sports team at school that needed new equipment.

I really like how these books all have lessons in them. Most of the time the owls aren’t fully getting along but in the end they set aside their differences and work things out for the greater good.

I really enjoy these books. They are colorful, simple stories that are easy to understand. show more They each have a small lesson that ends with discussion questions. The discussion questions can be used to determine how much of the story the reader fully understood.

I recommend these books for any child that enjoys reading and wants to read about owls. These books are fun but also contain facts about owls withing their pages too. I think any child would enjoy having these books added to their book collection. show less