Safe: Cara and Hao’s Tale
By Elle Bee
Publisher: Elle Bee
Published: Sept 11, 2013
ASIN: B00F58LQVE
Amazon Synopsis:
Cara was picking flowers when the fire men came. Hao was
fiddling with sticks. In the blink of an eye, their home was destroyed and
their lives turned upside down. Their brother was arrested and their father was
beaten within an inch of his life. Neither of them knew that being a Christian
had such a cost. Words like "refugee" and "persecution"
became part of, not only their vocabulary, but also their everyday life.
Soon, all their family had to cling to was the reason everything was taken away: Jesus. Thankfully, they placed their eggs in the best basket and the miracles they begin to
witness...we can't even imagine.Soon, all their family had to cling to was the reason everything was taken away: Jesus. Thankfully, they placed their eggs in the best basket and the miracles they begin to
Join Cara and Hao on their miraculous journey as they flee to a new world, seeking to avoid the perils of religious persecution.
Book Links
My Thoughts:
Cara
and Hao are two young Christian children in Vietnam out playing when some men
with firebrands come marching towards their home with malicious intent. Cara
and Hao race home but do not get there before the wicked men.
Cara
and Hao
is based on a true story of a family known to some missionaries in another
country where persecution for Christian belief is the norm. The author wrote
this book for children in the west so that they could begin to understand what
children in other countries experience as part of their Christian faith.
Persecution
for what a person believes is a difficult subject to write about. Helping a
child understand what is happening and why it is happening is also difficult. I
thought that this author did a good job of telling the story in a way that was
easy for the younger child to comprehend what was happening without frightening
him/her to pieces.
I
felt this book was suitable for children ages 5 to 10 years of age. I think a
few pictures would have added nicely to the book's overall presentation to
children in this age group. For children who are able to read on their own the
pictures would have added to their ability to decode the text by providing
picture clues to the words and for those who could not, pictures would have
added overall interest to the story.
Cara
and Hao
would be a unique addition to a home or school library where the topic of
persecution for religious beliefs might want to be discussed. I thought the
author did a great job of presenting the material in a non-frightening way that
could easily encourage discussion.
Though
the story itself deserves 4 stars, I was originally going to give Safe: Cara and Hao’s Tale 3 stars because
of its’ lack of pictures, but when I spoke with the author and found out that
she is working not only on pictures, but maps, discussion and essay questions,
vocabulary, and reading multiple choice questions at least for
the print version of the book, I decided to give the book the full 4 stars.
Thank you to the
author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest
review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Elle Bee was born in San Antonio,
Texas. At a young age she discovered her talent for writing and knew, one day,
it would be her career. Soon, however, that desire was pushed aside as she
entered high school, graduated, and moved on.
No matter where Elle Bee lived,
everything transformed into a story before her eyes. Simple nights working at
the coffee shop could easily be turned into grand adventures as well as a day
working in the yard with children, and other "mundane" tasks. She was
never without a good story.
In 2011, Elle Bee finally buckled
down and started typing out and saving her stories. Although it wasn't until
she took a trip across the world that she gathered the courage to share her
writing with others. In 2013 she published her first work.
Just released:
THE EVIDENCE --- Raised practically by himself, ten year old Charlie would like nothing more than to be left alone. Unfortunately, he is a magnet for attention, particularly of the negative degree. Bullying. Blame. Teacher disapproval. For the majority of his life, Charlie has been able to take the attention in a "grin and bear" it sort of way
Author Links
Good review of an interesting book. Learning about what children and adults that live in countries that lack religious freedom is something we all can stand to learn a little more about.
ReplyDeleteSo true. I think we are so removed from it that we almost don't believe it happens.
ReplyDelete