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The English Roses
 
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The English Roses (Hardcover)

by Madonna (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 48 pages
  • Publisher: Callaway Editions (Sep 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0670036781
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670036783
  • Product Dimensions: 25.7 x 20.6 x 1.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 339,170 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Madonna hangs up her material-girl cloak to teach children the importance of looking beyond a surface sheen. In The English Roses, the superstar's children's book debut, four little girls (the roses in question) "play the same games, read the same books, and like the same boys".

Nicole, Amy, Charlotte and Grace all love to dance the monkey and the tickety-boo... and they all are horribly jealous of Binah, the perfect, beautiful, smart, kind girl who lives nearby. Even though they know Binah is lonely, she makes them sick. They would say "Let's pretend we don't see her when she walks by", and even "Let's push her into the lake!" The pleasantly bossy narrator explains "And that is what they did. No, silly, not the lake part, the pretending not to see her part".

One night, however, the four girls all have the same dream that sets them straight. A fairy godmother sprinkles them with fairy dust and takes them to spy on Binah. When they see that she lives alone with her father, slaving away night and day at household chores, the four girly grumblers feel very sorry for her. The fairy scolds them: "... in the future, you might think twice before grumbling that someone else has a better life than you." And they do.

This morality tale is nothing new under the sun, but it is cleverly told, with many teaspoonfuls of good humour. Jeffrey Fulvimari's illustrations are no less than stunning, filling every page with vivacious black ink lines and gorgeous watercolour reminiscent of 1960s fashion sketches. Children will enjoy this don't-hate-me-because-I'm-beautiful story that celebrates friendship as much as it teaches compassion. It's recommended for ages six and above. --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A treasured keepsake, 17 Sep 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The English Roses (Hardcover)
The English Roses is beautifully illustrated with a welcome moral message. The voice is good, original and connects well.

For the British market the story could have been improved with a a good editor's tight overview. A number of small adjustments could have improved the text .. "nice" is not a word that is encouraged in descriptive writing in schools, "very" and on one occasion "very, very" is a little clumsy and "neighbourhood" would probably be referred to as town. Children - particularly for SATS are discouraged from writing stories that end "it was all a dream" so it would have been good to have had another vehicle for that element of the story and the introduction of a fairy godmother removes the story to the realms of fantasy. But the book is beautiful, would make a treasured keepsake and if proof were in the pudding my two children enjoyed it - and that's what really matters.

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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars English Roses by Madonna, 4 Feb 2004
By celia hulse (Wythenshawe Manchester) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The English Roses (Hardcover)
This is the first book I have read by Madonna although I am a fan of her music.I like the book because when you read the first word you are hooked.You can't wait to find out what happens.My mum said she has never known me to keep quiet for so long.

Celia Hulse age 9

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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The English Roses, 18 Nov 2003
By Miss M H S Lau (London, UK United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The English Roses (Hardcover)
This book is a modern tale for children in today's world. I am glad that Madonna come out with something original. Envy is something children come across in a day to day basis and it is a great idea to illustrate the damage it may do to innocent children in this beautiful book. I am looking forward to the other titles by Madonna. The collaboration with famous illustrators are at great advantage too when it comes to children book publishing.
This is a very enjoyable book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely illustrations, sweet story
A surprisingly sweet story about friendship which is raised above the ordinary by the lovely illustrations which certainly captured my daughter's attention. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Annabel Gaskell

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and thought provoking
We bought this book on spec and both my five year old daughter and I were delighted with the story and pictures. Read more
Published 18 months ago by S. Foster

1.0 out of 5 stars Who's That Girl? Who Cares?!
Is there anything the ‘Material Girl’ has not tried to put her badge to? This is the first of a famous five-book deal that the multifaceted Madge has bagged to... Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2004 by weebuns

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful children's book for the grown Madonna fan!
I myself have no children. So why did I read THE ENGLISH ROSES? Well, because I'm a Madonna fan. I'm fascinated by the woman and her products. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2004 by Andrew Olivo Parodi

5.0 out of 5 stars The English Roses
Madonna's magic is everywhere. Now it is in the book world. This is a wonderful story illustrated brillantly. Certainly the best child book of 2003.
Published on 4 Jan 2004 by riqui

1.0 out of 5 stars Autobiography as wish-fulfilment: discuss.
I thought Madonna's book was pretty feeble, although the illustrations are charming. But apart from having a character called Binah, I didn't see any relevance of the Kabbalah to... Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars Patronising and sanctimonious
The moral - don't be nasty to people or bully them - is unobjectionable enough. But I found this book twee, patronising and sanctimonious, with cutesy illustrations more suitable... Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars How did this get published?
This is such a weak book that I can only imagine it being truly appreciated by devout Madonna fans. It's a basic story with basic prose (a beautiful little girl is ignored by her... Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable. Just Adorable!
I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this book. As a mum struggling to get her daughter to enjoy reading, I resolved to give it a go. Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2003 by Dionne Havercroft

1.0 out of 5 stars Weak
After I read this thin-offering of misplaced morality, I wondered how it had ever got published. And then I remembered, it was written by Maddonna. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2003

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