Book Review: Malina’s Jam

Due to the on-going pandemic, I have my two daughters (ages 4 & 9 years old) at home, doing distance learning combined with homeschooling while I am balancing working from home. We enjoy discovering new books to read and discuss. I have received several Disney Books from my Fall Homeschool Reading List and will be sharing reviews of them. Here is my Fall 2020 Children’s Disney Book list.

Malina’s Jam, written and illustrated by the talented Svetla Radivoeva is a “Walt Disney Animation Studios Artist Showcase” book about a generous little hedgehog named Malina who makes amazing raspberry jam and shares it with her newly found forest friends. She gave all her jam away and forgot to save some for herself for the winter! As winter approaches, it is too late to make more. What will she do?

Daughters’ Reaction

Both of my daughters enjoyed this book so much. The story was very engaging and the beautiful illustrations really brought it to life. My older daughter thought the story was very cute, but she was most interested in the artwork on each of the pages. My younger daughter found the book very intriguing. Her favorite part was seeing an illustration of the tiny raspberry tree with a caterpillar on it. Then the next frame had a bigger tree with a chrysalis. Finally, the third frame had a full tree with a butterfly on it. She loved how time was illustrated on these pages, plus we have raspberry trees and have been raising butterflies, so it this story really perked her interests.

Overview

I think this book is simply beautiful. From the story standpoint, the raspberry jam symbolize Malina’s generosity, which is what brings the community of animals together.

We can see that she has a big heart that is just exploding with love. She is also shy, which I can relate to, because sometimes that can make it harder to connect with people. But by giving her jam away to those in need, she is able to connect with other animals without using many words. As I flipped through the pages, I thought each scene was just a masterpiece. The details in the artwork is magnificent.

I absolutely love how her simple gesture brought together a community that helped one another. It reminds me so much of my neighborhood and how we all come together by doing simple little acts of kindness.

Walt Disney Animation Studios Artist Showcase program encourages the creation of new children’s books. Once a year, full-time regular employees of the Disney Animation Studios are invited to submit a proposal for a new children’s book. The program encouraging artists to create their own stories and characters and dive into the world of publishing. I am very happy that Svetla Radivoeva decided to apply for this program because Malina’s Jam is such a gem. To learn more about Svetla Radivoeva here is a Disney Family interview.

To see more book reviews from my family, visit my Fall 2020 Children’s Disney Book List.

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