A LITTLE BOOK WITH HEART, August 10, 2013 By M. Moran-Bishop - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Charm: An Amazing Story of a Little Black Cat (Paperback) Leyla Atke's book Charm: An Amazing Story of a Little Black Cat is a little book with great magic and heart. It is a book that I don't believe you have to be a cat lover for it to touch your heart, instead if you are a lover of life you will find this book worth the time to read. It drew me in from page one and held my interest sometimes in sorrow, when tears sprang from my eyes unbidden, and sometimes in delight for the little black cat held enchantment in its soul. Ms. Atke held me in the palm of her hand as she laid out her story. It left me believing in the value of hope and miracles and wishing it wouldn't end. I believe Ms. Atke has a definite talent for story telling that can only continue to grow. She weaves her tale so naturally, she makes you believe it is all true and if it isn't it should be. The book contains charming illustrations done by the author and could be read by and to children as well as enjoyed by an adult. Highly Recommended!

DINKY: THE NURSE MARE'S FOAL - A five star review by Doreen Cox - Author of Adventures In Mother Sitting

Every so often, I come across a book that strongly pulls at me to read; Dinky was one of these. It is not an easy task for a writer to keep her reader’s interest when the story is written in first person. Ms. Bishop’s script with Dinky as the narrator of his story is exceptional. I loved this story – it is educational, emotionally engaging, insightfully written and so very rich in detail. A real-life foal, the author brought Dinky vividly to life for me, from page one. Ms. Bishop’s interpretations of Dinky’s thoughts during the initial months of his life were so heart-wrenching to read yet, from the beginning, I found myself captivated by Dinky’s spirit. Despite the incessant cruelty done to Dinky by humans – he was always famished, underfed, ignored and frightened – there is resilience in his nature that commanded my respect. After reading the synopsis, I expected to be angry, to cry when Dinky, a ‘junk foal,’ told his story of being taken from his mother, a mare caught up in man’s cruel practice of breeding her only for milk to nourish a high-dollar mare’s foal. It was almost unbearable, reading of the cruelty done to Dinky during his first few months of life – the overwhelming fear for his fate: being sold to a meat market or to tanners, or being adopted. In the words of Dinky: “I wasn’t prepared to believe in the possibility of good things.” The story shifted, becoming delightful and enlivening when the author and her husband adopted Dinky from a fair. At that point, my tears came then from reading Dinky’s accounts of his life in fresh air, with ample food, water and companionship. He tells us about learning to trust, to love and becoming part of a herd; and the silly ways in which he let the impishness in his spirit free. Since my read, I have wondered if Marta Moran Bishop is a ‘horse whisperer’; I do not know. However, I do believe that she is a woman who speaks horse. Dinky told me so.***** http://doreencox.blogspot.com/