The Blomes and The Smooms and the Impossible Bridge by Heather Davis is a lovely and engaging children's book dealing with social issues we have all witnessed at various levels. It is beautifully illustrated by Corryn Webb and shares a very important truth which many grown-ups have (conveniently) forgotten. It is first and foremost the story of two peoples who have everything to be happy together but who focus on their differences. Fortunately, their young ones will not give up and will prove them wrong.

The Blomes and The Smooms and the Impossible Bridge by Heather Davis is a gorgeous and deep children's book that focuses on some of our faults: not being able to understand different ideas, divergent opinions, not being able to work with people who are not like-minded, feeling too strongly about our own ways of thinking. In this amazing story, the Blomes and the Smooms cannot work together because some prefer beauty to strength while others would rather have something ugly but strong and safe. Their children, who would like to play together, get together and manage to do what their parents aren’t able to do because they are short-sighted and not selfless enough. Young people will prove to adults how important it is to work together, get past one’s differences and even thrive on them! Let's keep in touch with our child's heart. Let's make this world, however beautiful or ugly, a better, more harmonious place by collaborating and cooperating in a smart and thoughtful way.

The Blomes and the Smooms live on opposite sides of a river. They both have their talents: the Smooms being artistically creative and enjoying homemade smoomberry pies, while the Blomes were technologically creative and made the most marvelous inventions. At one point, they thought a bridge connecting the two communities would allow them to share their talents. The only problem was, they couldn’t agree on how to construct the bridge. So, they lived apart, separated by the river, angry at the others. While the adults fumed, however, the children collaborated. And what do you think happened?

Heather Davis’s picture book story, The Blomes and the Smooms and the Impossible Bridge, is a charming story about getting along and accepting differences. We all have different talents and if we share them, we can become better, more wholesome people. That was what the Blomes and the Smooms had to learn. The plot progresses through the conflict that divided the two groups and reaches its climax when the children take action. Cleverly told in rhyming verse and with beautiful, bright, colorful illustrations. Children will love to follow along with the story, perhaps even pointing out where the adults went wrong in their attempt to come together. Sometimes it takes a simpler approach to reach success, but more importantly, it takes collaboration and the willingness to both accept and consider the possibilities presented by differences, and to accept that one way of thinking is not always the right or the only way of thinking. Complex issues, but the author very astutely presents all of this for young readers to comprehend.