FICTION

Malina’s Jam: Walt Disney Animation Studios Artist Showcase

by Svetla Radivoeva (text) & illus. by Svetla Radivoeva
Disney Pr. (Artist Showcase). Sept. 2020. 48p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781368024587.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2–An ode to sharing as the ultimate gift to one’s self and the concept that actions speak louder than words in building relationships. Malina the hedgehog lives a solitary life. She loves tea, books, and her raspberry garden. She has brief, polite contact with her forest neighbors, who compliment her efforts. Once she has harvested her berries and made jam, she inadvertently gives away so much of it that she has none left for herself. Luckily she discovers that by giving away the jam, she has built community, and is repaid with gifts of food and friendship. Radivoeva has a deft hand with charming googly-eyed animals, but without character development to match the cute illustrations, the story’s greeting card message falls flat.
VERDICT An attractive package with a pat message, this is entirely optional.
Reviewed by Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter Sch., Providence , Jun 26, 2020

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