Book Review: The Pond of Reflection
Catherine Ann Russell’s illustrated pearl of wisdom
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.
In the Mirrorless Kingdom, where the inside-out matters more than the outside-in and all are considered special by a wise and caring king, all the creatures are content and happy, except the king’s daughter. Princess Journee wanted so badly to know who she was, so she asked her father for a mirror as her coming-of-age present. But alas, the king didn’t have a mirror, as there was no mirror in the whole kingdom. In place of the mirror, Journee receives her father’s permission to embark on a self-discovery quest. On her journey, she quickly makes friends and learns that the closest thing to a mirror is a rumored pond of reflection. What is she going to learn on this quest?
The strength of a story about identity should be its characters, and Catherine Ann Russell does not disappoint in The Pond of Reflection. I loved the exotic characters that featured in this remarkable adventure—a daring princess mouse, a faithful mighty horse, a witty owl, and the most sensitive toad in all of La-La Land. These characters were a humorous and entertaining bunch. I also loved the adventurous storyline, enchanting setting, and colorful choice of words. But most importantly, I loved the moral of this story. Who we are on the inside is more important than who we are on the outside; and to learn who we are, we can start by learning who we are not.
This review is for the audio version of Catherine Ann Russell’s The Pond of Reflection, and the narration by Jeffrey Machado was superb. I was impressed with how distinctively well he mimicked each character’s voice, especially the owl’s and the toad’s. The audio was clear, smooth, and evenly paced, which added to my enjoyment of the story. The Pond of Reflection was a most pleasant, entertaining, and impactful read, and I heartily recommend it to both children and adults who enjoy children's books.
(First reviewed in Reader’s Favorite)
