Pria and Alexander laughed at Anna. The whole class laughed at Anna. “You’ll see,” said Anna. “She’s real. And real big too.” When Anna’s family moves to a new neighborhood where she doesn’t have any friends, Anna sets off to explore the local pond and discovers there’s far more magic in nature than she could have ever imagined. Every print copy sold of Anna and the Earth Angel plants a tree!
Anna and her family have moved into a new neighborhood and Anna is very bored. This is the opening scene in Anna and the Earth Angel (Anna's Angels) by Stephanie Hrehirchuk. Anna does not know anyone there and she does not know how to spend her summer holidays. She sees a pond outside while looking out of her window, and decides to explore it. As Anna goes in search of the pond, she realizes the beauty of nature. The mountains, hills, flowers, trees, birds, and insects fascinate her. She finds out that big fancy houses are being built behind the little grove of trees and she does not like it one bit. Then Anna meets the earth angel. Together they manage to make it a special place for the entire neighborhood.
It is a beautiful story of a little girl finding joy in nature and discovering herself. The black and white illustrations are magical and they make the story come alive to readers. The theme of the beauty of nature and finding happiness in it has been handled well by the author. Readers will enjoy Anna's tryst with nature and the story will encourage them to become more observant of their beautiful surroundings. It is a good book to use for read aloud sessions in classrooms as it makes students aware of the beauty of nature and will encourage them to preserve it. The concept of an earth angel makes the story whimsical and it is interesting to see how Anna and the earth angel weave magic into the lives of everyone living in that area.
