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Friday, March 2, 2012

Book Review - Grand Master Little Master - Patricia Merker

               Grand Master Little Master: The Karate TournamentGrand Master Little Master: Sink or SwimGrand Master Little Master: Love Has Many Faces
Title:  GrandMaster Little Master Series

Author: Patricia Merker with Lauren Wilhelm (illustrator)

Review:  David and I have five children and I can tell you it is a zoo at our home most days.  Everyone has their own agenda including the two of us and wow life is crazy.  Teaching values and how to be a good person is a full-time job and yet sometimes it gets lost with all the other things the kids need to learn and do.  This series is a nice reminder of what is truly important for kids to learn.  Compassion for others, what comes around goes around, love and why they are here on this Earth to begin with.

The series in not overly religious, the name God is never mentioned at all.   Grand Master is the one that is in all of us, the one that helps us determine right from wrong and the one who helps us determine who we are in the scope of this world.  Grand Master wants us to succeed and share what we learn with others.  Kids need a foundation in which to learn and grow, they need to know someone cares for them.  Grand Master can give them a feeling of control and of love.  Who doesn’t need to be loved?  Well I sure do!  This series of three books so far is well worth your time and your children’s time.

My 9 year old son read the books to me and we both really enjoyed the last one the best.  Love is something we all want and need.  Some people just don’t get enough and even don’t love themselves.  After reading the book we had a quick discussion about a boy at school who was a bully, my son put together that maybe he didn’t love himself enough to be kind to others.  Bingo!  One read through and he got it…he understood something that took me years to get.

This series is fast to read and interactive if you want it to be.  Kids learn and you learn to be a better parent and a better person.  We are passing these books on to others so they can also learn what we have.  Give this series a try…what do you have to lose?


Publisher: Published 2011 by Pick-A-Woo WooPublishers

ISBN: 9780980652048, 9780980652079, 9781921883095

Copyright: 2011

Pages: each is between 20 and 35 pages.

Quick Review: 4 stars (out of 5) for the series I would give the last book, Love Has Many Faces a solid 5.

Why I Read It:  Sent by the author for review.

Synopsis: The Karate Tournament is the first book and the foundation for all subsequent books in The Grand Master/Little Master series. This book is your child's introduction to Grand Master and his/her invitation to go on a life-changing adventure When eight-year-old Haley's mother asks her if she would like to play a game on the morning of her karate tournament, she is somewhat reluctant, given all the butterflies in her stomach Not quite able to resist the temptation, however, she agrees. Grand Master (who makes His/Her presence known through mom in this first story) tells Haley that she has been chosen to be a Little Master-in-training and there is much to do. What follows is a heartwarming story of a little girl who learns the importance and magic of Cause and Effect; what goes around, comes around. "What you put out in the world comes back, Little Master; cause love, cause kindness, cause forgiveness. Try not to cause sadness or anger. This too, must come back." This is the story of Haley, and how she turns a very scary and nervous situation into a joyous occasion by her conscious use of Law.

Sink Or Swim is the second book in The Grand Master/Little Master series and addresses the topic of fear. It is highly recommended that you begin this series with The Karate Tournament, which is the foundation for all subsequent books in the series, and allows your child to meet Grand Master and be chosen to be a "little master-in-training." It is not necessary to follow in order after book one.Whatever your child may be afraid of: the dark, heights, monsters in the closet, or flying, etc., they will relate to Haley's crippling fear of the water, and what it costs her to hang on to the fear. This book gives your child an opportunity to observe their fear differently. Both adults and children will find themselves asking the question "Is this fear something that I have, or does this fear have me?Included with this story are three letters from Grand Master to your child, with weekly lessons to inspire thought, conversation, and action.

Love Has Many Faces is the third book in The Grand Master/Little Master series and addresses the" less than loving" people in our life. It is highly recommended that you begin this series with The Karate Tournament, which is the foundation for all subsequent books in this series, and allows your child to meet Grand Master and be chosen to be a "little master-in-training." It is not necessary to follow in order after book one.Jordan is anxious to start first grade and can't wait to meet his new teacher You can imagine his dismay when he realizes that he is to spend an entire school year with a crotchety teacher that is not very nice to the class, and especially seems to not like him. Read this heart-warming story of a young boy who follows Grand Master's advice, and looks deeper than the surface to find an expression of love.Included with this story are three letters from Grand Master to your child with weekly lessons to inspire thought, conversation, and action.
Image of Patricia Merker
Author Biography:  Patricia Merker is a wife and the mother of two great kids, Haley and Jordan, who inspired her to write The Grand Master/Little Master series.  She was disillusioned with the lack of spiritual, New Age material available for children.  There was no shortage of parenting books, but little for children, on an interactive level, that was stimulating enough to hold a child’s attention.   Her wonderful family and supportive friends told her that the parents and children of the world needed to meet Grand Master; that the world would be a better place.

Patricia was born on November 20, 1956 in Columbus, OH.  She graduated from Ontario High School and went directly into retail sales, then retail management.  She served on the Board of Directors for a new charter school, Love of Learning, in Largo, FL.  Additionally, she was the Children’s Program Director at The Center for Conscious Living in Largo, FL. She wishes that she could boast some impressive educational credentials, but the truth is, she has never written anything other than an occasional note for an excused absence for one of her children from school.  It is precisely because of this, that she feels she was an instrument; a messenger of sorts; to introduce parents and children of the world to The Grand Master/Little Master Series.  It is her belief that she is no more an instrument than you, the reader.  The goal of this series is to make you believe it too.

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