Frizzy the S.A.D Elf Book Review

Frizzy the S.A.D. Elf by Dorothea Jensen

Title:  Frizzy the S.A.D Elf
Author:  Dorothea Jensen
Illustrator: Shayne Hood
Publication Date: August 2, 2014
Publisher:  Independent
Recommended Age: 4-10 


My Review:

Frizzy the S.A.D. Elf is one of many Izzy Elves Books written by Dorothea Jensen.  This book is written in a rhyming verse that is engaging and entertaining.  It incorporates familiar snippets from old classics and links to the present day which children will connect too.  The illustrations are bold, bright and very colourful and add to warmth of the story.  Frizzy the S.A.D Elf could become another family classic holiday tradition.

Frizzy is a sad elf because every year she has to let her dolly creations go.  She just loves them so.  She wonders why she feels so down then her friend Dizzy explains to her that she has S.A.D, seasonal affection distress.  In order to not feel blue anymore she decides to not create dollies and instead moves on to monster trucks.  But even here she is not content.  Then she tries giving her elf friends makeovers but that does not make them happy.  In the end S.C, Santa Claus, as he is called in this story, finds an solution to her distress which solves her S.A.D.  Everyone is happy in the end, Frizzy, the other elves, S.C. and the children around the world.

I would recommend practicing reading the story out loud before reading to children the first time to understand the flow and rhythm of the story.  I found it very help to listen to a recording of Dorothea Jensen herself reading her story to learn flow.  For older readers you may have to work through some new vocabulary words. You will find words such as bereft, summoned, sappy, and hankered which will help children expand their own vocabularies and challenge early strong readers.  This book is a nice new collection to holiday books for kids.

Disclosure:  I received a free pdf version of the story to facilitate this review as a part of the Book Blast Tours hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews.

For more information about the author visit www.dorotheajensen.com
Also visit the Elves website here www.izzyelves.com

Listen here to Dorothea Jensen reading an excerpt from her story.