Book Review: The Sun Zebra by Rolando Garcia

Book:  The Sun Zebra
Author:  Rolando Garcia
Pages:  66
Format:  Kindle
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services
Book Source:  Provided by Author
Category:  Anthology, Inspirational
Style:  Conversational Musings

Synopsis from GoodReads:

The Sun Zebra, is best described as a children's book for grownups. Its aim is to encourage us to discover (or rediscover) the amazing things that children and their magical carefree world can teach us, even as we try to teach them about the harsh realities of our own. The book is a collection of five stories that follow the "adventures in living" of an unusual little girl named Nell, her mother Rhonda, and Nell's father who is the narrator of the stories. . . . More

My Take:  

Sun Zebra by Rolando Garcia is a charming little anthology written by a father enchanted with his young daughter, an exploration into the vibrant world of a child's imagination.  Only 66 pages long, it's a quick read as we encounter with little Nell a family farm awash in a vibrant sunset; a aeronautically challenged cicada, a balloon and a kindly ornithologist; a bold and intrepid squirrel invoking Edgar Allen Poe; a Charlie Brown Christmas tree seemingly outshone by the competition; and an artist in a park particularly tuned in to the world of fairies.  Each experience provides Nell a new opportunity to teach her parents (and us) important lessons in life, or, at the very least, inspire contemplation in daughter and introspection in dad.

Mr. Garcia writes in an easy, conversational style:  Hey, how ya doin'?  Come on out to the deck, grab a Coke, and shoot the breeze while the kids chase each other around the yard.  Each vignette left a smile on my face, and Birdman and the Fairy Tale made me laugh out loud so the other people in the doctor's waiting room eyed me funny.

The Sun Zebra is FREE to download today and tomorrow, July 18th & 19th.  Kindle reader applications for desk tops, tablets and smart phones are available free at Amazon, so not actually owning a Kindle shouldn't deter you.

A note from Mr. Garcia at the end of his book says it all:

Everything in this book is a blend of fact and fiction.  Everything, that is, except the zebra.  The zebra is real, and it is out there waiting for you.  When children take you by the hand to search for it, I hope you have the patience and the vision to help them find it.

Bottom line:  For those moments now and again when you just need a lift, The Sun Zebra will leave a smile on your face every time.  It's perfect to read aloud to a friend.

FTC disclaimer:  An electronic copy of this book was provided by the author or their agent with the understanding I would provide a fair and honest review.  I receive no other compensation for this content.

Two Down, One to Go

Wednesday marked another milestone for my family.  My #2 son left college campuses behind him for good, packed up his family and set out into the real world.  With his Master's in mechanical engineering in hand, in another couple of weeks he'll start work with his new employer, Samsung, in a bedroom community of Austin, Texas.

They moved only about 102 miles from their apartment in College Station, but in their change in circumstances, they're moving to the other side of the moon.  Instead of starving students relying on scholarships and student loans to keep body and soul together as they have done for the past four years of their married life, a well-paying job promises comfort, security, and elimination of their debt.  Instead of a two-bedroom apartment growing increasingly smaller the larger their toddler and two cats grow, they are renting a new-ish, clean and well-maintained four-bedroom home with 2½ baths and a two-car garage in a nice neighborhood.  Filling up those rooms with furniture will take some time, but they've already made their first installment with a new flat-pack dining table and chairs.

On Timeless Beauty

I'm not quite exactly sure how to take this, now that I think about it.  Like all brilliant poetry, there are many facets to explore and angles from which to view it.  Be that as it may, my son, Paul, age 23, has a Shakespeare class at university and decided to dedicate this to the senior people in his life.  The dedication was instigated when he said that no one told him they grow up so fast, referring to his five-month-old daughter.  He got a shower of 'cry me a river' from his middle-aged relations, and so thus came the sonnet in reply. I am going to go with my knee-jerk response on this one and proclaim it a beautiful sentiment and an undeniable truth.

Sonnet #2 by William Shakespeare