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A 2024 Book Excellence Awards Winner in the Pre-Teen Fiction Genre!

Reviewed by Sarah Scheele for Readers’ Favorite, 2022

Princess Journee is a little mouse with a big mission. In The Pond of Reflection (Pearls of Wisdom Series Book 1), written by Catherine Ann Russell and illustrated by Brooke Connor, the princess lives with her royal father. He abhors shallowness and has forbidden mirrors in the peaceful kingdom so that no one will be self-conscious about their appearance. The internal person, the “inside-out,” is of greater importance. But Journee doesn’t know what she looks like and feels she doesn’t know enough about herself even though she is aware that the external does not define her. For her birthday, she goes on a quest, traveling through the kingdom with three friends in search of the Pond of Reflection, which can serve as a mirror since the kingdom has none.

With a pristinely flowing narrative and quirky characterization, The Pond of Reflection (Pearls of Wisdom Series Book 1) has a lot of charismatic strength, and the story never falters. A moral fable at its finest, it springboards off a Bible verse, Proverbs 27:19, to build a winsome story about finding true self-respect. It’s a beautiful, high-quality fantasy story about a set of four close-knit animal friends who quietly meander through an enchanted countryside and discover life together. A splendid yet understated interior of illustrations and decorative page design makes this book perfect for little readers to savor and read over and over. Catherine Ann Russell’s book is the sort of story I loved to read as a child and I’m sure many young people today will enjoy it too because it depicts the world of children, what they need, and what preoccupies them so sympathetically.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

Reviewed by Ann Linus for Readers’ Favorite, 2023

In the Mirrorless Kingdom, where the inside-out matters more than the outside-in, and all are considered special by a wise and caring king, all the creatures are content and happy except the king’s daughter. Princess Journee wanted so badly to know who she was, so she asked her father for a mirror as her coming-of-age present. But alas, the king didn’t have a mirror, as there was no mirror in the whole kingdom. In place of the mirror, Journee receives her father’s permission to embark on a self-discovery quest. She quickly makes friends on her journey and learns that the closest thing to a mirror is a rumored pond of reflection. What is she going to learn on this quest? Find out in The Pond of Reflection by Catherine Ann Russell.

The strength of a story about identity should be its characters, and Catherine Ann Russell does not disappoint in The Pond of Reflection. I loved the exotic characters featured in this remarkable adventure—a daring princess mouse, a faithful mighty horse, a witty owl, and the most sensitive toad in La-La Land. These characters were a humorous and entertaining bunch. I also loved the adventurous storyline, enchanting setting, and colorful choice of words. But, most importantly, I loved the moral of this story. Who we are on the inside is more important than who we are on the outside, and “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

In this audio version of Catherine Ann Russell’s The Pond of Reflection, the narration by Jeffrey Machado was superb. I was impressed with how well he created each character’s voice, especially the owl’s and the toad’s voices. The audio was clear, smooth, and evenly paced, which added to my enjoyment of the story. The Pond of Reflection is a delightful, entertaining, and impactful read, and I heartily recommend it.