Lemar and Her Magical Pets


Children - Animals
28 Pages
Reviewed on 09/26/2020
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite

Lemar is a little girl who loves to “read, imagine, and invent things.” On the day before her birthday, Lemar found a green gem while digging in the garden. She asked her Tati if she thought it was magical. Tati’s reply was that she did not know if the gem was magical, but Lemar could always pretend. Lemar’s only birthday wish was to receive a pet. That night, Lemar gave a tap, a clap, and a snap, and a pet appeared. However, it was not possible for her to keep the pet. Over and over, she tapped, clapped and snapped, but none of the pets was appropriate. The story’s ending is determined by the child to whom the book is being read. Author Nesrine Sleiman has written a fun, magical children’s book in Lemar and Her Magical Pets.

Lemar’s love of creative imagination is one to which all children can relate. The beautiful illustrations by Pixel Ink Studio will also contribute to a child’s sense of wonder and magical thinking. For example, when Lemar finds the gem, a bright, white light emanates from the hole in the dirt. Likewise, the drawings of the pets that appear are cute, yet demonstrating how they are not appropriate pets. There are many opportunities for parents to discuss the intricate details of the illustrations, as well as the power of thought. This is a children’s book that will engage a child every time it is read. Lemar and Her Magical Pets, written by Nesrine Sleiman, will enhance any child’s library. It is a story fromThe Magical Gemstone Series and readers will look forward to more books in the series.

Jack Magnus

Lemar and Her Magical Pets is an animal fantasy picture book for children written by Nesrine Sleiman and illustrated by Pixel Ink Studio. Tomorrow was Lemar’s birthday, and she was hoping that her mom would get her a pet. It was hard for her to even think of going to sleep as the thought of her new pet made her just too excited to settle down. Her Tati did promise her birthday would be a long and very happy day, and she did need to rest up for it. So, finally, Lemar settled down to sleep, but only after telling her mom about the green gem she had found in the garden early in the day. Is it a magical gem, she wondered? Could it bring me a pet? She held the gem in her hand as she sat in her bed and wished as hard as she could for a pet. What would it bring?

Nesrine Sleiman’s Lemar and Her Magical Pets is a sweet story about a little girl whose dream of a pet for her birthday turns into a magical fantasy dream about an enchanted gem and the fanciful array of pets that come to visit her. The illustrations are brightly colored and work perfectly with the story, and they make Lemar and her magical creatures real. I especially like the surprise ending to the story, which will get young readers involved and invested in finding out if Lemar does get a pet for her birthday and what kind of pet it is. Lemar and Her Magical Pets is imaginative and fun. It’s most highly recommended.

Jamie Michele

Lemar and Her Magical Pets by Nesrine Sleiman is a children's book that takes readers of a journey of birthday magic. Young Lemar is asking her mother for a pet as a birthday gift. As she's being tucked into bed, she recounts her day finding a beautiful green gem buried in their garden, hoping that the gem might be magical and Lemar could possibly conjure up a pet of her own choosing. What unfolds is a series of animals appearing in her bedroom with modified versions of claps, snaps, and taps, and each of the animals that appear is most definitely not of her own choosing. When Lemar wakes up in the morning, the night's adventures lend to a birthday celebration that includes the young reader themselves.

Lemar and Her Magical Pets is an entertaining and fun book for children and the parents they share their stories with. Nesrine Sleiman shines a light on the hope and imagination that children embody, harnessing it into a creative and relatable storyline. Of course, I don't mean relatable in the sense that poisonous frogs or monkeys or rhinoceroses—who was really meant to be a unicorn—will materialize in a bedroom, but in a way that bridges the excitement of a birthday on to the parent who might have lost that magic themselves. The illustrations are superb, lifelike, and colorful, bringing to life a quasi-zoo in Lemar's bedroom. This is a fun book that is easy for me to recommend with five stars from both my daughter and myself.