I had a great Easter Sunday

* Professional Review of The Sha Bebe Trilogy *
A combined review of the three books by
Sabne Raznik from Word Weavers.
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Do You Believe in the Land of Sha Bebe?

**Mary Lynn Plaisance, The Land of Sha Bebe, Book I: In the Land of Sha Bebe(BeBs Publishing, 2004), 80 pages, folklore, $19.95 U.S.

**Mary Lynn Plaisance, The Land of Sha Bebe, Book II: Cajun Fairies,(Authorhouse, 2006), 213 pages, folklore, $13.40 U.S.

**Mary Lynn Plaisance, The Land of Sha Bebe, Book III: The Wizard of Swamp Alley, (Authorhouse, 2007), 200 pages, teen/adult fiction, $18.70 U.S.

Plaisance created a kind of Cajun muslin doll she calls Sha Bebe and copyrighted them in the 1990s. Then she wrote a series of books about the dolls- a world she made up just for them. Part folklore and part fiction, the idea of both the dolls and the books is a charming one that is full of distinctly Cajun flavors.

So far there are three books in the series. They read like darling bedtime stories and are clearly meant for younger audiences. Sometimes the details can be a bit off, especially with regard to time, but it could be Plaisance desires that affect since the dolls themselves care little about time in terms of years.

The first book reads as almost one long conversation where the Sha Bebe dolls tell a human about the ways of their land. The following two books actually take you into the Land of Sha Bebe as it is threatened by different evil forces. The second and third books are by far better written and more interesting. The plots are influenced by the events of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and move quickly enough to keep you reading. They make wonderful relaxation reading, if you don’t mind some references to magic. Overall, one gets the feeling these would make entertaining animated movies. Who knows if maybe they will be one day?

The books also feature many photographs of the dolls participating in various activities within their world which help one to visualize the explanations offered in the conversation. The dolls themselves are absolutely adorable.

The real charm of these books is the muslin doll characters and this rare and engaging glimpse into Louisiana’s Cajun culture. There is simply not enough in mainstream literature and culture about this unique and colorful little world in the south. May this be he trickle of water that will become a river of information about Cajun culture!

Professional Review by: Sabne Raznik
From Word Weavers

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She understands what I wanted to make people feel about the Land of Sha Bebe. :)

I can't summarize a story. I have a hard time doing that in a few words, and Sabne Raznik did this very well. I mentioned New Orleans in some of my short writings about the books, but I didn't send my words out to the public like I would accent the focal point in a room.... She did that well.

If anyone wants a review from Sabne Raznik, an honest review, which is what I wanted, she is the one to do it. I applaud her.

I call it magic!!  I don't agree with the category being placed under childen's books. Bedtime stories aren't 200 plus pages.  But I wanted an honest review, and I got one.  I do repeat myself sometimes, something I'm learning to not do in the next book.

Read my other blogs. Thanks.