The Green Ember Series by S.D. Smith

Summary

As described by S. D. Smith,
“Four thrilling adventures following siblings Heather and Picket as they get caught up in an epic struggle for rabbitkind’s liberation from the tyrannous preylords. Humor, heart, and hope anchor this series that centers on small rabbits battling to keep faith amid the chaos all around them.”

Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Read Aloud Age: 7+

Mom Thoughts

The Green Ember appeared on my Instagram feed about a year ago, and I was instantly intrigued. A story about rabbits with swords fighting against wolves and hawks? I knew it was sure to engage my boys who love a good action story! I have to be honest, I was completely caught up in this tale from beginning to end. However, I am often easily caught up in beautifully crafted stories, so I had to slow down a bit and really process whether I thought this would be a good series for my children to read.

The first, and most obvious roadblock in this series would be the violence. Yes, this is a series about rabbits with swords fighting wolves and hawks who also have swords. There is death and lots of wounds occurring pretty frequently. However, the way S.D. Smith crafts these scenes so delicately, I do not have much concern for how the violence portrayed will affect my children any more than when we read through much of King David’s life in the Bible. No, I am not comparing The Green Ember to the Bible, but I am comparing the level of descriptive violence. To give you another perspective, my husband and I do not allow superhero shows or books because of the high level of violence and crude behaviors that are depicted, but we both love The Green Ember. However, if violence and weapons (swords) are something you want to keep from your kids, I would not recommend this series. Also, if your child is sensitive, I would suggest waiting until they are a bit older.

As I am a lover of vocabulary, I immediately wanted my children to enjoy this story. Smith uses such rich language on each page. As a former teacher, this stood out to me immediately. I am always trying to get my children to use “better” words to express themselves either in writing or verbally, and Smith’s stories are perfect examples of how using “better” words can really enrich a story. Reading these stories aloud to my children has been a treat. The amount of times we’ve used the dictionary has been unreal. Alexa has gotten quite a workout by looking up definitions for us.

The author, S.D. Smith is a Christian, but The Green Ember is not an overtly Christian series. There is no crude language. The stories have a common thread of hope. Hope for this new “Mended Wood” to come when the rabbits would be able to live peacefully together. Even when the situation is at its worst, Picket and Heather exude a peaceful atmosphere and continue to fight for what they know to be true.

The younger rabbits continuously show great respect to their elders. The elders are often consulted when making big decisions. There is a theme of mentorship throughout where older rabbits work with younger rabbits to train for their future professions. They choose each other and work closely together for the common good of the Mended Wood to be.

There was nothing of concern sexually throughout any of the books. You do come to realize Heather and Smalls are in love. They embrace and hug, but they do this after they decide they will be married to each other. They do end up marrying and having a family in the end. Weezie and Pickett are the same. They never do anything sexual, but you come to realize they love each other very much.

The idea of prophecies and seers does exist throughout each book. There are certain seers who are able to predict what is going to happen. They are considered to be prophets. Since this is clearly a work of fiction, it did not concern me personally when choosing to read this series.

The Green Ember has turned our morning read-aloud time into an epic adventure. Each morning we travel along with Heather and Picket. We sit at the edge of our seats wondering what will happen next. My sons continue to remind me, “it’s ok mom, Heather has hope for the Mended Wood, she believes.” While it isn’t a perfect parallel to the Christian life, it has been able to open conversations about pain and suffering and where our hope is found: in Jesus Christ.

This review was written by contributor, Tricia. To learn more about Tricia, click HERE.