Book Review : Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Richard Simon and Tanya Simon

A beautiful book to start the holiday season, Christmas is not only a festival of love, joy, and tolerance, it is also a festival of hope, for a better tomorrow, and a prosperous new year. This story is about a young immigrant Oskar. Read the full Book review below:

Story:

Oskar lives with his parents in Europe. Both his parents and Oskar believe in the power of blessings. It was during 1938 when Germany started occupying some parts of Europe due to war. His parents sent Oskar as a refugee on a ship to America.

Oskar had nothing with him except a photo of a woman he didn't know, his aunt Esther and his father's last words to him "OSKAR EVEN IN BAD TIMES PEOPLE CAN BE GOOD, YOU HAVE TO LOOK FOR THE BLESSINGS".

It was the seventh day of Hanukkah and also Christmas Eve. Oskar arrived in New York City. He had to cross a hundred blocks to reach the Avenue of Broadway, where his aunt Esther lived. He wanted to be with his aunt when she lit the menorah before sunset.

Oskar was very hungry, tired, and cold. After crossing some blocks, he saw a woman feeding the pigeons. She offered Oskar a piece of bread so that he could feed the pigeons, too, but a ravenous Oskar tried to swallow it. The old woman who saw this gave him a loaf of bread. This was his first blessing.

Likewise, Oskar looks for blessings in various acts throughout his journey until he reaches his aunt. The rest of the story is about how he finds them.

With outstanding illustrations, this story is a blessing, that teaches us "NOT TO STOP BELIEVING IN HOPE, BECAUSE MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERY DAY".