Book Review: Lily and Grace, Ayla by the Sea and Leahs Magic Apple Tree

By Farris Yawn

While the stories are reason enough to buy any one of these books, another thing that makes these whimsical tales so wonderful is that they are vividly brought to life by author Debbie Byrds beautiful watercolor illustrations. An accomplished artist in addition to being a childrens book author, Ms. Byrd has illustrated over eight books for other authors. Two of Byrds books were inspired by and feature her own grandchildren.

Lily and Grace is the story of Lily the sea turtle and her friend, Grace the jellyfish, as they discover a threat to their ocean home. They recruit their surfer friend, Connor, and they race to get a leaking oil drum cleaned up and hauled away.

Ayla by the Sea stars a little girl named Ayla who lives at the beach. She sets out one day to build a sandcastle and is joined by her neighbor, Ayden. When she learns that he has lost a gift from his grandfather, she enlists the help of her friends, Percy the seagull, Oliver the pelican and Corky the dolphin, to help with the search.

Leahs Magic Apple Tree follows Leah as she tries to help her friend Max save his familys farm. She learns a valuable lesson about the difference that believing in something can make, as she follows the advice of her friend, Pippin the cricket, and manages to raise the money Maxs dad needs for a new tractor.

Each of these books would be a welcome addition to any childs library.