Mike Goldstein

This is my first book review. As an author, I’ve had many reviews done on my books, but I’ve never reviewed another author’s book. When Zowie asked me to review her book I was honored, but I was also a little nervous. What if I didn’t like it? But after reading “Barb the Bird of Hope,” any hesitation vanished. There wasn’t anything about the book that I didn’t like! The story delivers an inspirational message of hope to people during these uncertain times. We get to take a look through the eyes of Barb, a unique and mysterious bird. Given her freedom by her late owner, Barb then dedicates her life to bringing promise and hope to others. The lovely and vibrant illustrations, starting with the eye-catching cover, perfectly complement this sweet story. This is a great book for a young reader or for a family read-together. It’s the kind of book that my kids would have kept bringing back to me to read to them again. But I wouldn’t have minded reading them this book over and over! Barb sees the positive attributes in people and has empathy for what they’ve recently been going through. Here’s one of Barb’s insights into how people might have felt during Covid isolation: “When Barb lived in the cage in the kitchen, she had felt protected but trapped. ‘Perhaps this is how the people feel, too,’ she thought.” Thank you, Zowie, for sending me this wonderful book. And PLEASE continue writing and illustrating. Kids need to read more books like this one! 5 out of 5 stars Mike Goldstein