I was really excited to review this book!  First of all, I think more books like this are needed for children to bring more preparedness awareness in a less frightening platform and secondly, I commend author Bernie Carr and her illustrator, Aja Wells for the awesome job they did putting this book together!

You see, I know a little about children's books - if only by default.  My sister, has been in early childhood education for years as the director of a fairly large child development center. While still living in Florida, whenever my sister and I were out shopping together, the trip would invariably included "just a quick look" into the local book store.  I used to watch in amazement - and yes at times amusement - once inside the store as she would dash to the children's reading section morphing into a child along the way.  With the wide-eyes of a child, she would gently pull a book from its nesting place on the shelf, and gingerly as if holding something fragile, turn each page, scanning up and down the page as she exclaimed, "Look at the colors!" or "The illustrations are so clean and bright!"  Not really having a clue what she was talking about and antsy to get back to shopping, I learned to tolerate the rhetoric.

When researching what a makes a good children's book, I came upon a children's publishing conference hosted by Publishing Perspectives and Scholastic Inc. they summed it up like this: a good children's book contains a simple and original idea presented with clarity and great power; that connects with the reader, asserting its world directly into the reader’s mind; it makes the world seem larger and more interesting; is written with humor and a light touch; and, has the realization of a complete but very different world.  This is exactly what the author and illustrator accomplished with "Jake & Miller's Big Adventure: A Prepper’s Book for Kids".  Through the brightly colored pages they were able to compel the reader into an adventure with a small boy named Jake and yes, his talking dog, Miller.  As you are whisked into their whirlwind of preparation for their adventure, your adult-mind understands the underlying message of the need to have the basic survival needs of food and water, and the necessities of shelter, warm blankets, maps, flashlights; and extra batteries and, a radio.  What you don't realize until the end of the story is that you the reader were taken on their adventure without even realizing it.  That is what makes a good children’s book.

I am hoping that Jake and Miller may find their way to other adventures that will bring even more understanding of preparedness to children in the near future.  But until then we can marvel at the brightly colored pages much like my sister does as we imagine yet another journey with Jake and Miller.

Get your copy of "Jake and Miller's Big Adventure" here:Jake and Miller's Big Adventure: A Prepper's Book for Kids

- Survivor Jane

Thank you for sharing Survivor Jane with all of your friends!

If you liked this ... then you will love my book, "Emergency/Survival Hygiene: A Prepper "Cookbook" for Survival Personal Hygiene Products", "What Could Possibly Go Wrong??? How to Go From Completely Clueless to Totally Prepared" and my NEW Book "Puzzling Over Preparedness - Survivor Jane's Prepper Word Search Puzzles"