Review of "The Shoemaker's Splendid Lamp" by Tuula Pere, PhD

​Score: 93+/100 (9.3+ out of 10)

Where does Tuula Pere get these extraordinary, deep, and outside-the-box ideas for children's books?

The Shoemaker's Splendid Lamp by Tuula Pere is a heartwarming children's story about love, sacrifice, and hope. Set in a modest village, the narrative revolves around a hardworking shoemaker, his ailing son Aron, and a symbolic lamp that becomes central to their hopes and survival.

In a somewhat rare example of a serious, dire life-and-death struggle in a children's book, Aron teeters on the edge of death with a severe illness that's implied to be terminal. This isn't the first time that Pere has explored the topic of terminal illness in children. In her powerful, heartwrenching Welcome Home, Pearl series, Pere explored the short yet beautiful life of a terminally ill child named Pearl and the loving brother who stayed by her side until the very end—carrying on and honoring her memory even after death. It did so in a beautiful, touching, and tactful way.

Similarly, The Shoemaker's Splendid Lamp approaches the topic in a beautiful, touching, and tactful way. While we are reminded time and time again that certain people in the book (particularly the doctor) don't believe that Aron will live long enough to see the spring, the book also emphasizes the power of hope and resilience.

This is symbolized by the light of the lamp from which Aron draws hope, warmth, and inspiration from. The light from the lamp is both a literal light and a figurative light. Aron comes to believe that as long as the lamp remains shining, he will remain shining—he will stay alive. He adamantly shares this belief with his father (the shoemaker) and his mother.

Aron's sense of hope is infectious. When he wants to go outside and travel on the sleigh with the shoemaker, you—the reader—want it to happen too!

Another really beautiful aspect of this book is how the neighbor is used as a character. His arc, though very brief and quite abrupt, is really special because it's quite unexpected. He initially comes across as a selfish, self-serving, greedy person (wanting the lamp for himself and even seeming to dish out a veiled threat); however, it seems like Aron's determination to live and the love of his parents defrosts his cold heart and wins him over.

The illustrations by Georgia Stylou are beautiful in their own way, though they may not be everyone's cup of tea. Stylou also illustrated Raspberry Red by Tuula Pere, a powerful book about an innocent child living during wartime. Stylou's style is, well... stylish. It's different and unique, distinguished by the big, colorful eyes of characters—appearing almost doll-like. One thing that Stylou captures well are the expressions and emotions of the characters. You can see the concern and sadness on the shoemaker's face when he's worried that the bitter cold of being outside might worsen Aron's already-fragile health. You can also see the hope and optimism on Aron's face throughout the book.

When his condition is poor, you can tell from the dark, red areas around his eyes.
When his condition is improving, you can tell by his glow and expressions.

If there's one weakness of this book, it's that the text is too small at times. If it were two or three font sizes bigger, it would be a big improvement. There is also a minor typo on page five (with two letter "A's" back to back).

This is a really intimate book that you have to sit down and take your time to read. You can't just fly through it like with some children's books. This might be fitting considering that it's subject matter (terminal illness) is a bit more on the mature side.

However, with all that said, this is still a really special book that's beautiful in its own unique way, like many of Pere's books. It focuses on the better aspects of humanity.

Check it out on Amazon!