Book Review: 'Magical Matthew' by Penelope Anne Cole

Penelope Cole’s Magical Matthew is about a boy with magical powers.

There are many lessons young children can learn from reading Magical Matthew, but two stand out.

First, you can use your talents to make a difference. The author has Matthew cleaning up litter left by others. What a great lesson for young children to learn.

The second is the value of true friendship. Matthew’s best friend is Lily. Lily is handicapped, but her disability does not stop Matthew from playing and being friends with her. In fact, they do just about everything together.

In a world where bullying has become the norm, it was very refreshing to see how Matthew interacts with Lily.

My favorite part of the book is when Lily finds out that Matthew has magical powers. Lily talks Matthew into using his powers to do many good deeds.

Lily nodded. “But you can do a lot. Remember how the beach was all trashy last year, and how long it took for the city to clean it? You could clean it instantly.”

The two friends talked a long time about the things he could fix, and things they could do together. They would be on the look out for things that needed to be painted, cleaned up, or repaired. Then Matthew would do something each day. It would be like a good deed of the day.

Kevin Collier’s artwork enhances the story. The detailed images are outstanding and help the reader connect with what is going on in the story.

Magical Matthew is a great book that teachers and parents can use to teach children about friendship, trust, and the joy of doing good deeds. Children from all cultures will enjoy this delightful book.

To learn more about the book please visit the author’s blog.