DESTINY’S GIFT

Destiny loves words and, thus, loves Mrs. Wade and her bookstore. She visits Mrs. Wade at the bookstore twice a week to share stories, tea, and cookies. But she’s faced with the dilemma of Mrs. Wade closing up shop. This, of course, is unacceptable, so Destiny, with the assistance of her parents rallies the neighborhood in support of Mrs. Wade. As Destiny tries to save the store, she reflects on what makes it so important to her and shares these sentiments with Mrs. Wade in the form of a book she creates. Burrowes’s paper-collage illustrations give the characters a three-dimensional feel, but there’s a flatness to the faces that doesn’t always support the rich emotions of the story. Still, there are clever uses of familiar titles tucked into the books on the shelves and the feeling between Destiny and Mrs. Wade is clear. As the story ends, the future of the bookstore is still unclear, but everyone will understand the importance of books and the people who know and love them. (Picture book. 6-8)