One More Candle was written by Merry Susiarjo and illustrated by Emmeline Pidgen. It was published in 2013 by Twelve Elves Books.
Nola is a jealous little girl. At the beginning of the story, she is out with her parents and older sister, Betty, shopping for a birthday cake. Nola wants a birthday party on the same day as her sister. While the mother doesn't agree, the easy going father says, "Why not?"
The jealousy doesn't stop, which turns into the unreasonable demands of why the older sister has more candles on her birthday cake. Nola doesn't seem to be able to comprehend that she'll never be equal to her sister in age.
Over time Nola goes through a period of asking the moon, the sun, a lighthouse and even a lanternfish whether they will light a candle for her on her next birthday.
By the end of the story, Nola finally accepts that she can't have as many candles but gets an unexpected surprise...
Merry Susiarjo has written a story about a child being jealous and petulant. The best way for children to get over this is... time. I showed this book to a friend and he said that he also felt jealous of his sister in many ways, so this book may bring up some discussion among adults. In my case it was a matter of giving up to an older sister.
It's difficult for children to grasp concepts of the impossible such as "Why can't I be the same age as my sister?" Things can seem frustrating for the younger child in the family. In One More Candle, the older sister does her duty and encourages and consoles her younger sister.
The book is a hardcover measuring 23 cm by 28 cm, a large sized picture book which allows us to fully enjoy the illustrations by Emmeline Pidgen, who lives in England and won an award in 2012 (Mom's Choice Awards for bedtime stories/picture books).
The first thing I found striking about her illustrations was her choice of colors, which tend to be on the "soft" side. This gives the book a dreamy feel which helps the story when Nola communicates with the moon, the sun and the lanternfish.
I like the way Pidgen uses colors that blend since it allows the reader to come back and enjoy the subtle details later. In my first reading I overlooked a lot of things such as the books in the bookcase, the art on the walls, the father having a 5 o'clock shadow on his face and the cat that's "just around”.
One More Candle is a heartwarming story, written in simple and polite everyday English, that everyone can relate to.
To purchase One More Candle please go to this link.
