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Award Winning Children’s book author Melitta Santos spent her childhood immersed in books and spending her spare time crafting stories. But it wasn’t until much later in life that she found the courage to take on her lifelong passion when she saw first-hand the importance of reading at an early age with her own children. Her dream of becoming a published writer became reality with Fini: The Beauty of a Broken Shell, a picture book about unique beauty, self-love, and important values.
Melitta finds inspiration for her stories from her own life. She likes to share an initial story idea with her three-year-old son to see if it’s worthy of interest. Melitta hopes her books share with young readers a glimpse into the Paraguayan culture, values that will serve them in life, and the courage to chase their dreams.
Prior to becoming an author, Melitta worked fifteen years as an entrepreneur. When she isn’t writing heartwarming children’s stories, Melitta enjoys spending time with family and friends. She and her husband live with their two boys and a noisy Pomeranian named Catalina in Asuncion, Paraguay. Fini: The Beauty of a Broken Shell is her debut children’s book.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Fini: The Beauty of a Broken Shell by Melitta Santos tells readers that “You can walk with your scars with pride, or hide them under a beautiful ñandutí. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is your heart.” Fini the young turtle had a bad fall and cracked her beautiful shell. She was worried that no one would like her anymore because of her hideous injury and that she wouldn’t be able to make friends. Jack the Jaguar was the first to prove Fini wrong. While Jack and the other forest animals helped Fini find someone to fix her cracked shell, the group of friends grows and they learn valuable lessons in friendship, sharing, trust, creativity, perseverance, responsibility, solidarity, self-esteem, solidarity, and most important, laughter.
Melitta Santos’s picture book Fini is a story about inner beauty. Told with care like a fairy tale, the plot provides a steady stream of lessons as Fini and her new friends search for the true meaning of beauty. Told in simple language, this story will appeal to young readers and help them improve their reading skills. The illustrations are bright, bold, colorful, and alluring, and certainly bring the story to life. I loved the description of the ñandutí (spider web) and the creative and caring spider Ana, whose beautiful creation is only a small example of the beauty that Fini has found among her new friends. The story introduces various animals found in a Paraguayan forest, as well as powerful lessons. I found this story more than beautiful. It was sweet, spell-binding and I loved it!
