Book Review of To The Cider Mill (Draw along with the story) by Danna York

Come to the cider mill where delightful apples and pumpkins await you. Join in by adding your own pictures to the book and begin your journey on becoming an artist.

Review 5*****

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

Autumn or Fall (depending on where you live) is a beautiful season, with trees changing colours and the air becoming colder and crisper. I must admit, on a personal note, that I am not overly fond of winter, and wish that we could keep the autumn season for a lot longer. To The Cider Mill is a wonderful children's story come drawing and colouring book.The cider mill comes alive in the fall, so some of the pictures are based on that season and has apples, pumpkins and scarecrows! This is a very difficult book to review, as there is very little in the way of words to read, since it is more of a pictorial journey to a cider mill. Nevertheless, there is an educational element to the book, and engages the young reader in learning how to draw and use colours to express themselves through art. The story can also help a child with their spelling and pronunciation (depending on reading ability). The beautifully drawn pictures are delightful, and children would be able to spend many happy hours colouring them in. There are pages that the author has purposely left blank, so that children could draw pictures in the book by following the directions on top of the page. I love colouring books such as this, even though I am an adult and supposed to have grown out of such childlike (note: not childish) activities. Give me a colouring book and some crayons, and I would happily while away more than a few hours doing something that gives me pleasure.

Danna York has created a fantastic book for children that is educational and fun. Her drawings are lovely and convey a story very well. If she decides to create another picture story book, or even a straight children's story with words, I would happily read it.

I highly recommend this book to children aged 3 to 12 years. This book can be used as a birthday gift or stocking filler at Christmas. Unfortunately, this book is not suitable for Kindle due to the interactivity required by the reader, and is available in print only via the author at this time. - Lynn Worton

Link to the author's Facebook page for those of you who are interested in contacting her.