Mister D 

by Elizabeth Stevens Review

It’s not very often that we at The Shotokan Way review a children’s book, maybe simply because we are never sent them very often, but thankfully this book came to me a few weeks ago.

Mister D, by Elizabeth Stevens, is a delightful book aimed at younger learners, and not necessarily only youngsters who train in the martial arts. The message carried in the book is universally recognised. It deals with a young girl who is carrying self doubt and a lack of confidence into her karate grading. The book deals with her recognition and subsequent battle with the character of Mister D, a character that I have no doubt lurks in many dojos across the world, I’ve definitely seen him in mine a few times!

With the story being concise and in child-friendly language, this isn’t only a book that you can read to your young ‘uns, but one that they will take great pleasure in reading themselves, with the beautiful artwork definitely aiding in its appeal.  The illustrations that decorate the book, by Daniela Frongia, are gorgeously colourful, and even the character of Mister D, the ‘bad guy’ if you will, is beautifully presented.

The tale of the battle between confidence and self doubt is one we should all recognise and this book perfectly presents a manner of facing our fears and believing in ourselves regardless of our doubts . In all honesty, I’ve had a few Mister D moments myself, and this book will go a long way in showing younger readers how to battle these demons, and how to work to their best, and to believe in themselves.

A highly recommended book, for karate learners, and any children in general, with the message being applied to any situation in a young person’s life.

Mister D is available to purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and BigTentBooks, and is available in Kindle, Nook and iBook format.   

Review by Emma Robins