Madonna hangs up her material-girl cloak to teach children the importance of looking beyond a surface sheen. In
The English Roses, the superstar's children's book debut, four little girls (the roses in question) "play the same games, read the same books, and like the same boys".
Nicole, Amy, Charlotte and Grace all love to dance the monkey and the tickety-boo... and they all are horribly jealous of Binah, the perfect, beautiful, smart, kind girl who lives nearby. Even though they know Binah is lonely, she makes them sick. They would say "Let's pretend we don't see her when she walks by", and even "Let's push her into the lake!" The pleasantly bossy narrator explains "And that is what they did. No, silly, not the lake part, the pretending not to see her part".
One night, however, the four girls all have the same dream that sets them straight. A fairy godmother sprinkles them with fairy dust and takes them to spy on Binah. When they see that she lives alone with her father, slaving away night and day at household chores, the four girly grumblers feel very sorry for her. The fairy scolds them: "... in the future, you might think twice before grumbling that someone else has a better life than you." And they do.
This morality tale is nothing new under the sun, but it is cleverly told, with many teaspoonfuls of good humour. Jeffrey Fulvimari's illustrations are no less than stunning, filling every page with vivacious black ink lines and gorgeous watercolour reminiscent of 1960s fashion sketches. Children will enjoy this don't-hate-me-because-I'm-beautiful story that celebrates friendship as much as it teaches compassion. It's recommended for ages six and above. --Karin Snelson
