Dear Diary

I recently received my first two professional book reviews from OnlineBookClub.org, (see below) and I couldn’t be more thrilled! The first review was for my debut book, A Journey to the Sparkling Stream, which earned a perfect five out of five stars. The second review was for The Gift of the Green Bandana, which received a solid four out of five stars. The reviewer deducted one star, suggesting that the page numbers on the illustration pages should be printed in white for better readability, and that the letter I wrote for my younger readers at the end of the book, which was penned in light green ink (celery ink), should be darker, as it was hard to read.

While I deeply appreciate the compliments and the thoughtful feedback, I must confess that the reviewer missed the true purpose behind my choice of light green ink. I intentionally used celery (colored) ink to encourage young readers to put in a bit more effort when reading the letter. Sure, I could have opted for beet ink, which would have been much darker, but as Mother Bunny taught me long ago, writing in red ink is considered impolite.

Making ink from celery is no easy task! First, I slice the celery stalks and soak them in water from the stream for three days to soften. Then, I slow boil the stalks for eight to ten hours, carefully dissolving the fibers and concentrating the color. After all that hard work, I’m left with only a few ounces of precious ink.

As for my quill, Ollie the Owl generously provides me with feathers during his molting season. After drying the feathers in sand, I remove the wax and carefully shape the nib by sharpening it and splitting the tip. The cut in the center of the nib holds just the right amount of celery ink for me to write with.

So, to all my readers: while the light green ink may take a little more effort to read, it’s a small challenge meant to make the message even more special.

Review of Benny the Brave Bunny: A Journey to the Sparkling Stream
By Priya Murugesan
Posted on 27 Aug 2024

Review of Benny’s Brave Adventures – The Gift of the Green Bandana
By Leona Rodrigues
Posted on 09 Sep 2024