MWSA Book Review

Operation Celebration

Author:  Stephanie Skolmoski

Illustrator:  Anneliese Bennion

Publisher:  Design-Ability

Reviewer: Bill McDonald – President of the MWSA

A Supportive Children’s Book For Military Families!

“Operation Celebration” is authored by Stephanie Skolmoski and illustrated by her daughter Anneliese Bennion. It is a welcomed edition to a growing selection of book’s specifically created for young children in military families. This is another successful effort and it will be a huge hit with the small ones. I would think that children up through 4th or 5th grade might enjoy reading the story.

The book is diverse in its scope and includes most all faiths in its story of how a class puts together a package for the holidays for those serving on deployment overseas. The book could be healing and comforting for the small ones in a military family as it gives them ideas of things to do. It also shows them that they are not alone in this situation.

The author pulls it all together and makes it a nice book to read to young children. Older grade school children should be able to read this on their own. The illustrations are warm full of life and color and capture the flavor of the holidays along with the essence of the tale unfolding in the book.

The book would make a great gift for any child whose parents are deployed. It is a warm caring effort that we at the Military Writer’s Society of America applaud loudly and endorse. This book receives our most coveted children’s book rating of FIVE TEDDY BEARS!