Manuscript Critique 3

MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION

AUTHOR: DROR SHAI LEVI

REVIEWER: NELSON E. HARRISON, PH. D., R.A., CCA Professional Member

DATE: February 2, 2000

Summary:

Title: "The Ancient Rainforest"

Theme: Tune in and listen to Mother Earth and Mother Nature. The trees are our kindred ancestors and we need to stop cutting off our heritage of life at the roots.

Method: Children's book with illustrations

Goal: To instill in our youngest citizens a respect for our life sustaining environment so that alternative ways can be found to destroying the flora and fauna of the planet and ultimately ourselves.

Evaluation:

Strengths: If I were a child I would love this book; it wonderful. The author has succeeded very well in demonstrating the following:

• Well designed, it will capture the attention and imagination of young children.

•       The language is beautifully simple that a child could easily relate the story to other children.

•       The story line is magical which is also the way children think and believe. (Perhaps we should become more like them is this regard.)

• The illustrations are beautifully primitive as if they were painted by a child. They certainly are reminiscent of the kind of images a child could carry around in their mind or their dreams. Did the author paint the illustrations?

• The book has multi-cultural appeal that lends itself to translation into many languages and sales in many cultures.

Weaknesses:

• He needs marketing expertise but apparently his previous book is successful.

Critique:

I think it is a refreshing book that many parents would love to give their children and probably wouldn't mind reading them to sleep with. It is adequately brief for a children's book. Even a 2 year-old could relate to it.

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Critique Summary:

Does the book have publishing potential?

I think it could be a best seller.

What is required to get it to the point of submission?

Proper marketing. The printed book could be a treasured possession for a young person.

Suggestion:

He might want to consider the internet as well as conventional print media. There could be an online version or a CD ROM version, perhaps of a series of the author's books with music, etc. I have the capability to produce such a follow-up product in my immediate circle of associates.

PROPOSAL:

I would be interested in designing and writing either the Basic Copy Package or the Deluxe Copy and Promotional Package.

I could do parts of the Superior Copy but I am getting so swamped with projects I had better defer that to someone else.

If the author decides to go in the direction of CD-ROM with music, then get right back to me.

Attached are the lyrics to an original song of mine that I wrote in 1990.

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Time Frame? Six months for completion.

Turnaround time: 1 month for first draft. On approval by author 1 month to final draft.