Review: Kayla Jarmon

It's time for a fun review of Three great books from one great author: Kayla Jarmon. Kayla is a Christian writer who grew up writing poetry. When her youngest son was nervous about starting school, she wrote a story to encourage him and thus began her writing journey. 

I am going to be reviewing three different stories here. I am starting with the simplest and moving to the most complex. One thing I noticed about Kayla: she has chosen tough topics. The things she is writing about are challenging in many ways as you will see as you read my review.

A Boy and His Dog

This book was by far our favorite. We are a dog family. And specifically, we are a "Sidge loves his pets" and "Abigail loves her pets" family. Those two kids of my four are simply magnetized toward animals and their intense love for them. 

This book made me tear up thinking of my little man and his love for his pets and for his dogs. I flashed back to losing our Dalmatian and the whaling Sidge did when he got word it was time for Scrubs to leave us. And then I was reminded of how often he walks up to me, tears in his eyes, saying, "I just love my dog, Ritter, Mom. Isn't he the greatest dog in the whole wide world?"

Here is a video of Isaac reading the book while Sidge looks on. Please excuse the huge mess by my computer as we live through renovations :(

A Boy and His Dog is a simple story that could be used for different audience. It could allow an adult to remember his life with his dog. Or it is for a young child to reflect on the love he currently has for his pet. My only "hope" is that at some point there is one written for a girl as well as it is just that sweet. I don't think Abigail would relate simply due to the difference in pronouns. 

Love this book! Super sweet and a great book to purchase for someone getting ready to have their first dog too.

Don't Forget Me

So this is a very interesting book. I've never read anything quite like it. And to be honest, I am still trying to wrap my mind around it and whether or not I would use it with my kids. 

This story follows a baby from the moment it is dropped into the the womb unit the moment that it comes to live with his/her parents forever. It is a conversation between God and the unborn child, telling that child about God. Telling that  child about the God who made him/her. Telling that child to trust Him as the child prepares to be birthed into the world.

Here's what I want to emphasize about this book: 

1. If this "fits" for your family, it is an AWESOME book. For example, if you are a "normal" family with a dad and mom and a baby in the womb, it works and will lead to a great discussion between parent and child. I think it is so interesting to think about the fact that God placed your little one inside the womb. He was thinking about them. He loved them. He wanted them there. He picked out that child's parents. The list goes on and on and the discussion could seriously be absolutely breathtaking. If you have a child asking questions, this book could work. It does not discuss how a baby is made whatsoever and so I think you could use this as young as about four-years-old. 

However ...

2. You definitely need to "pre-read" this book. If your family is non-traditional, like our's is (with our oldest son being adopted), or if there isn't a father or you have some other non-traditional issue, than this book could be challenging. I really think it is designed for the "traditional" family. 

I think that with a few changes, the author could write different versions of this for different families. I would LOVE to see one for adopted children!!! You could also do one that is for a family where the Dad is not present. 

Dying is Part of This World

This is a longer book then the previous two and written in a chapter-style book. It is a conversation between a child and a mother about death. This is another book that is just a hard and uncomfortable topic. And to be honest, I didn't "enjoy" reading it because I kept thinking: What if I had to have these discussions with my little one? What if they lost someone they loved? How would I explain that?

But here's the thing, if that did happen to your child, I think this book is a great launching off platform for your child. I really think it is designed to be read by the child first. And then, the child could sit down and discuss it with the parent. 

I really give Ms. Jarmon credit for writing a book on such a difficult topic and writing it so candidly. Again, it is a tough topic and not something you want to have to think about. But whether we like it or not, the truth of her words are very needed.

I hesitate to say "use this book" if death is something that needs to be talked about in your family. I really think you must pre-read this. Each chapter has questions after it. Maybe you skim the book and just discuss the questions. Maybe you let the child read it. Maybe you just use parts of it or use the examples for your discussion. I think that death is such a unique experience depending on the family situation and therefore you really need to read this and decide for yourself whether it is a good fit for your family.

Please take a moment to follow Kayla on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. And as always, feel free to email me at flakymn@hotmail.com with additional questions regarding this author.