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A review by elizabethferguson
A Little Spark by Chris Parsons
2.0
A Little Spark is a children’s story aimed at ages 7 and up. It has a pretty basic plot and features an unassuming but brave little mouse-turned-hero named Spark. When Daniel the Dragon’s fire goes out, Spark goes on a quest to save his hometown of Zuron from the encroaching ice. Along the way, Spark and Veen the weasel conquer slippery slopes, face off against ice monsters, and meet villagers from a town similar to their own.
For how long this book is (about 160 pages), it seemed underdeveloped, and the ending felt rushed. I think part of this had to do with the number of characters in the story. There were too many for all of them to be well developed, so none of them were. Spark’s journey also seemed unnecessary when, at the end of the story, it was a magic spell cast by a minor character who hadn’t been seen since the beginning of the book that saved Zuron. Lastly, the Together Forever ceremony was just a wedding, so why not call it that?
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the illustrations. They seemed fuzzy, and some pictures looked like poor attempts at Photoshop. I was also prepared for this to be a book about a dragon when I first saw the cover since it was the first thing my eye was drawn to; the mouse is minuscule by comparison. I certainly wasn’t expecting the dragon to play as small a role as it did.
Overall, A Little Spark is a cute story, but it’s lackluster in its premise, characters, and artwork. The book does have accompanying songs that can be accessed via QR code within the story, which was a cute little bonus.
For how long this book is (about 160 pages), it seemed underdeveloped, and the ending felt rushed. I think part of this had to do with the number of characters in the story. There were too many for all of them to be well developed, so none of them were. Spark’s journey also seemed unnecessary when, at the end of the story, it was a magic spell cast by a minor character who hadn’t been seen since the beginning of the book that saved Zuron. Lastly, the Together Forever ceremony was just a wedding, so why not call it that?
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the illustrations. They seemed fuzzy, and some pictures looked like poor attempts at Photoshop. I was also prepared for this to be a book about a dragon when I first saw the cover since it was the first thing my eye was drawn to; the mouse is minuscule by comparison. I certainly wasn’t expecting the dragon to play as small a role as it did.
Overall, A Little Spark is a cute story, but it’s lackluster in its premise, characters, and artwork. The book does have accompanying songs that can be accessed via QR code within the story, which was a cute little bonus.