“WALKING THROUGH A WORLD OF AROMAS,” by Ariel Andres Almada and Sonja Wimmer, Cuento de Luz SL, April 1, 2013, hardcover, $16.95 (ages 5-7)
“When Annie was born, everything was dark …”
Annie is different than most people. And she knows that. As she was growing up, she’d hear her friends talk about colors and shapes, but it was all very confusing. One day, Annie’s mother seeks to clear up the confusion by handing her daughter an ice cube. “Blue feels like this,” she says. “And red feels like this,” she explains, holding Annie’s hands toward the fireplace.
It was in winter when Annie learned to walk among aromas — old furniture smelled like wax, fresh cookies smell like the kitchen and her cat, Paris, smells of cinnamon.
Annie’s favorite thing to do is spend time cooking with her grandmother, and when Annie cooks, the aromas are almost magical — they transport people to forgotten memories and places. With her gift Annie can help anyone, anyone except a young man who comes to her dragging his feet …
“Walking Through a World of Aromas” is a quiet, magical book with equally strong text and illustrations. Ariel Andres Almada has constructed a story of which the reader is immediately drawn in. And Sonja Wimmer’s graceful illustrations bring Annie’s world to life.
Though this book touches on many themes — overcoming obstacles, finding one’s place in the world, learning empathy — it never hits you over the head with a “lesson.” That’s what makes it work so well. And that’s why parents and children will fall in love with it.
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