2007-06-15 A superb idea and a perfect keepsake

When my 2 pre-school daughters were invited to be flower girls, I started to look around for a book for children that would explain what flower girls do and what happens at a wedding so they could understand better. It took me a long time to find anything very helpful. When I finally discovered reviews of this book, I knew it was the type of thing I was looking for. It is beautiful to look at with its eye-catching, glossy cover and ribbon fastening at the side, and small enough for little hands. The design and layout of the book is really well thought through with pages of text explaining what happens at a wedding, who the main people are (bride, groom, best man, etc), how things usually progress (starting with the rehearsal, through getting ready, the ceremony etc right up to how the flower girl might feel the next day when it's all over). Other pages interspersed through the book are left blank for photos, drawings, etc and there are pockets for other keepsakes. What really impressed me is how well the tone is aimed at young children (just right for my four-year-old), talking about what a privilege it is to be asked to take part in a wedding and making well-observed and pertinent comments such as remembering not to fiddle with you headdress, or fidget in the ceremony! At the same time it contributes to the building excitement and makes suggestions such as counting how many different kinds of flowers, etc. One VERY minor negative is that the book has American spellings, which might be confusing if the girl is reading for herself. Altogether, though, I think this is a great book, useful before the wedding and a lovely memento afterwards.