About the book:

 

Title: The Bridge of the Golden Wood: A Parable on How to Earn a Living

Author: Karl Beckstrand (Goodreads Author), Yaniv Cahoua (Illustrator)

Published: August 1st 2017 by Premio Publishing

Source: received from Authors db

Format: e-copy

Blurb:

(Career/Business) #1 in 3 Amazon categories. Selected for Vermont’s elementary school financial literacy curriculum. “5 stars. A clever storyteller. … A very educational resource.” – Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite. A child with a knack for solving problems helps some hungry fish and finds a treasure. Illustrated Asian folk tale teaches the value of work and includes career and business ideas plus online resources (for ages 4+). Young children will be captivated by the story; older ones will want to apply the things they learn. 530 words in dyslexic-friendly font, by a former Silicon Valley recruiter. Hard cover, soft cover, and ebook, 26 pages

Check it on: Amazon  & Goodreads

My Review:

Ok, I’m starting to love these children books and I don’t even have my own yet. This is my second book by Karl Beckstrand and I have not been let down yet. However, I believe “The Bridge of the Golden Wood” is not suitable for young ages, as 3-5 year olds may not fully understand the concept of money and where it comes from.

With this in mind, we have yet another great and wise story about a boy who, after freeing the fish from the river, uses the branches to build a bridge and help an old lady pass through it. With these lovely gestures, comes income for the poor boy. So every kind gesture is returned in one form or another. I believe this book encourages children to help where possible, while explaining a little the concept of making money.

Although there are some holes in the plot, I believe every page has reached its purpose. The illustrations are sometimes fuzzy, but when the focus is on a particular object or being, they are quite nice. From my kindle version,  I would have wanted a bit brighter colors, but that did not make the experience any lesser.

All in all, I liked this book and, after two titles by  Karl Beckstrand, I like his approach on providing useful lessons for children.

 

About the Author

 

Karl Beckstrand is the award-winning and bestselling author of 18 multicultural titles and more than 50 e-books (reviews by Kirkus, The Horn Book blog, School Library Journal, ForeWord Reviews). Beckstrand earned a B.A. in journalism from BYU, an M.A. in international relations from APU, and a certificate from Film A. Academy.

Once a technical recruiter in Silicon Valley, Beckstrand’s early work was produced by two publishers (the first died the day they were to print his book!). Since 2004 he has guided Premio Publishing & Gozo Books. An engaging speaker and workshop facilitator, Beckstrand has experience in high tech, public policy, film, and broadcasting. He teaches media at a state college—including TV/radio scripts and Web content—and contrasts traditional publishing with digital book publishing.

His Y.A. fiction, short stories, kids’ e-book mysteries, nonfiction/biographies, Spanish & bilingual books (with ESL/ELL pronunciation guides), and wordless books feature characters of color and usually end with a twist. He has lived abroad, been a Spanish/English interpreter, and speaks on diversity. He enjoys volleyball and kayaking (usually not at the same time).

Beckstrand has presented for SUECON (education conference), Taiwan’s Global Leadership for Youth, California’s Capital Book Festival, Utah Educational Library Media Association, Called to Learn conference, Salt Lake City Book Festival, PCI Webinars, Utah Humanities Council, Profnet, Murray City Writer’s Workshop, Utah Housing Coalition, LUW, Midvale City Reading Program, Utah Office of Education, professional groups, and schools. His racially diverse work has appeared in: Amazon, Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble, Border’s Books, Brodart, Costco, Deseret Book, The Children’s Miracle Network, The Congressional Record of the U.S. House of Representatives, Papercrafts Magazine, LDS Film Festival, EBSCO, Follett, iBooks, Kobo, SCRIBD, various broadcasts, and PremioBooks.com.

Website: http://karlbeckstrand.com