Longberry's Leap


Children - Grade 4th-6th
98 Pages
Reviewed on 08/07/2017
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Longberry's Leap is a storybook for children, grades 4-6, written by Leland James and illustrated by Anne Zimanski. Who is Longberry, and why does she keep on wondering about things? Longberry just can’t accept that the kingdom she resides in is all that matters in the world. When the king tells her that there’s nothing out there, Longberry can’t help but wonder if that is really the case. Longberry drives the king crazy with her imagination and her insistence that you can’t really assume there’s nothing out there just because you can’t see it. Even the castle courtiers try to persuade her to give up her imaginative pondering, but to no avail. Neither courtiers nor chorus could talk Longberry down from her wondering. And then, one day, she decided that it was time to start her adventure, to see for herself what was out there. And what she found was amazing indeed.

Leland James’ storybook for children, Longberry's Leap, is an homage to the thinkers and dreamers out there who can’t accept that everything is already known, and who haven’t lost the capacity for wonder. James’ poetry is made for reading out loud, and adults will find themselves looking forward to story time and their chance to read this aloud to an audience. While listed for a middle-school audience, I’d not hesitate to recommend this book for younger readers as well. James includes a useful glossary of words and terms, and Zimanski’s whimsical line and wash drawings greatly enhance the reading experience. Longberry’s Leap encourages children to wonder and dream, and it also introduces them to poetry and classic children’s literature. It’s most highly recommended.