The Hollywood Book Reviews recommends “A Very Powerful Gift” by Pamela Elges Roesler, highlighting “This is a wonderful story to show children how not to fear things other children can do with ease.”
The story of “A Very Powerful Gift” by Pamela Elges Roesler revolves around a young spider named Stewart, who initially struggles with fear and self-doubt. Unlike his fellow spiders, Stewart is afraid to jump and spin intricate webs, feeling inadequate in comparison to others. This conflict is a central theme of the narrative, as it highlights the challenges of overcoming one’s fears and embracing individuality.
Pamela Elges Roesler is very interested in her community and helping those in need through her church. She teaches at the community college, despite being 76 years old and three years clean of cancer. Roesler loves teaching because she knows she can have a positive impact on teens who struggle with their viewpoints of who they are.
Roesler obtained her master’s degree in literacy. She taught middle school and became curious as to why this age level had a very hard time reading and comprehending. From there, she completed a PhD in curriculum and instruction. For many years, she taught teachers how to be more understanding regarding the fears of their students. Roesler taught many semesters in special education and had both teachers and parents in her classes.
Roesler’s hobbies include painting, rocks, seashells, and hiking. She has three sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren. Roesler’s husband has five daughters and four grandchildren. As a result, the couple has ten children altogether.
Growing up as a youngster certainly is full of challenges. Obstacles, both real and imaginary, teem children’s minds with doubt, anxiety, and even fear. Self-doubt reigns as a cloak over accomplishing tasks others seem to be able to do with ease. But whether founded on logic or just an unrealistic emotional pressure, the accomplishment of such events, over time, is essential to build self-confidence.
In A Very Powerful Gift, author and co-illustrator Pamela Elges Roesler introduces readers to Stewart. As an 8-legged arthropod, Stewart the spider lives in his web up in the corner of a house. His web is simple and austere compared to the other spiders who embellish their webs with ornate designs and functionality. Stewart has one major fear: that of jumping. You see, spiders must jump in order to build webs, but Stewart is afraid of jumping.
One day Stewart is given a present from his mom: a hat with a propeller on top to help Stewart not fear jumping, as the hat will keep him safe. Wearing the hat does provide confidence to Stewart, but he still doesn’t like to jump, so he stays in his simple web. One day a lady comes out of her house with a broom turned upside down to whisk away the spider webs, and one by one, Stewart’s mom and other spiders jump out of their webs as the lady destroys each web. When the lady approaches Steward, he jumps to safety. On the ground, Stewart noticed his hat had fallen off, so his jump was made successfully without the hat—all by himself! In his generosity, he tells his mom to give the hat to someone else, as he no longer needs it to jump.
Here’s an excerpt from the review written by Hollywood Book Reviews that highlights:
“Perhaps a simple lesson, but Pamela Elges Roesler conveys an important theme for children growing up. Irrational fears can be overcome, and self-confidence is achieved step-by-step in developing minds of young people. What seems to be a challenge simply becomes an achievement. This is a wonderful story to show children how not to fear things other children can do with ease. Although people with arachnophobia (fear of spiders) may find themselves frightened by the illustrations, meeting Steward will also soften their anxiety over spiders, and who knows – maybe in the future they won’t step on them when confronted by these amazing creatures.”