Hey everyone!
Today is my stop on the bookstagram tour for Silverwing written by Kenneth Steven and illustrated by Ishy Walters, and I am excited to be sharing my review with you all here on my blog too.
A massive thank you to @KaleidoscopicBT for allowing me to be a part of the tour.
Title: Silverwing
Author: Kenneth Steven
Illustrator: Ishy Walters
Genre: Children’s (MG)
Publication Date: 24th June 2021
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Buy It Here (affiliate link): Amazon UK
Book Summary:
A beautiful story about ten-year-old Douglas who has recently lost his mother to cancer. The boy and his father haven’t been able to communicate since her death, and the house is a place of sadness. One day, Douglas finds an injured Greylag goose and so begins their mission to nurse the bird, and themselves, back to health. As father and son work together and start talking again, they discover much more about Douglas’ mother than they ever knew before and connect with each other on a deeper level. This story deals with bereavement, school bullies, father-son connection, and the enormously healing power of nature and art. Illustrated with gorgeous drawings throughout, this is a story that will stay with you even after you close the book.
My Review:
The story begins with Douglas finding an injured goose, and he finds himself immediately needing to help. He is determined to do his absolute best to nurse the goose back to health. The recent loss of his mother to cancer is still so raw for Douglas, and it pushes him to want to help the goose in a way that he could never help his mother. Douglas has such a delicate nature, a big heart, and a caring soul, and he will not give up on his new goose, who he named Silverwing. When his dad finds out, they join forces to help Silverwing, but actually he seems to be helping them just as much as they are helping him. Douglas and his dad begin to build a much deeper connection, and their bond becomes stronger than ever.
I loved the way that art is shown as a release, a moment of calm in a storm, something that can take you away from everything around you and everything that’s going on in your life and absorb you entirely in to the moment. Drawing seems to be Douglas’s happy place, the one thing that can take his mind off what’s happening in his life, and that’s something that I can really relate to.
I hated the way that people treated Douglas at school. With everything he was already going through, it was the last thing he needed, and he certainly didn’t deserve it. But the reality is that children can be unbelievably cruel, often for no reason at all, and I felt so sorry for Douglas. But, Silverwing got him through the tough times. Their connection made all the difference, as well as the connection he has with his father, and having someone to talk to.
Douglas’s experience with Silverwing mirrors that of his mother’s experience with her own goose, Littlewing, which Douglas discovers throughout the story, and I thought that this was a lovely touch, and an element of the story that I really enjoyed. It was almost as though we got to know Douglas’s mother, and he was learning much more about her than he ever knew before too. He felt close to her in a way that he hadn’t before since her passing, and it was a new closeness that could never be taken away.
This book was hard hitting, heartbreaking, heart warming, and utterly beautiful all at the same time, and I absolutely loved it. This is a story about believing, and always having hope even in the bad times, and it focuses on some very difficult topics too. I would love to read more from Kenneth Steven in the future.
I give Silverwing a 5 star rating!
*Thank you to Kaleidoscopic for my copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review*
About The Author:
Kenneth Steven is a successful poet, novelist and children’s writer who has published some 25 books. His BBC Radio 4 documentary on the island of St Kilda won him a Sony Award.
His previous novel, The Well of the North Wind (SPCK, 2016), was a spiritual tale set on 6th-century Iona, whilst Beneath the Ice (Saraband, 2016) tells the story of the Arctic Sami people.
YOU CAN FIND KENNETH HERE:
Website, Facebook, GoodReads
FOLLOW THE TOUR:
Disclaimer: My posts often include affiliate links, which means that I receive a small commission for any purchase made through my links, but with no extra charge to you. Thank you for supporting me and my blog.
Twitter – Facebook – Instagram – GoodReads – TikTok – Mastodon – Etsy Store – Wish List
_ForBooksSake 