I have some very mixed feelings about this book. It is incredibly powerful and moving, and borderline traumatic at some parts. One of the things I liked about this book was the unique perspective from which it was told. This book is written from the perspective of a little girl who lives with her alcoholic mother. By telling this story from the child's perspective, the readers heart is forced to break from the things this little girl goes through. At one point in the story, the child says "[sometimes mommy gets mad, and throws the empty bottles that break.] Empty broken bottles can hurt, just like empty broken people." Before reading this book, I had never imagined that a "children's book" could make me feel so strongly. That being said, they weren't the best feelings, and if this book is to be shared with children, it should be done so very selectively, and with a lot of discussion.

An aspect of the book that I had very mixed feelings about was how it was resolved. It kind of wasn't. The little girl talked with her counselor at school, and eventually found ways to deal with her mom, typically by going outside and riding a bike or getting away from her somehow, but the mom never changed. While I feel this may be the most typical situation for children who actually deal with this sort of thing, it would have been nice to get more resolution, especially given how intense the book was throughout.

As I interpret it, the message of this book is that you can only be responsible for your own actions. The little girl found ways she could deal with her mom's alcoholism, but could do nothing to stop her mom from drinking, despite how much she wants her to not drink. ( )

This book is a very intense one. From the cover itself one can tell that perhaps this may not be the happiest of stories considering that the term "break" is often associated with bad things. My assumptions proved correct when throughout the book it tells you that what used to be inside these bottles was alcohol and that the reason they are breaking is because they are being thrown. . .at the reader. This book is one that is used to explain alcoholism to young children and to show them that people understand what they are going through. It's simple, yet artistic artwork convey's it's message clearly and succinctly. The book is clear and precise and does not pull any punches. It helps give voice to what children suffering through abuse due to alcohol are thinking and feeling. These children often do not understand why they are being abused, just that it occurs. This book looks to help those children by explaining (not in a childish way) what alcoholism is, and what it does to their parents. All in all this book is both amazing and heartbreaking in that it's great that we have books like this that can help children of abuse but heartbreaking that it is necessary for this book to even exist at all. ( )

Bottles Break is a great book that allows children to grasp the serious topic of drinking alcohol as well as alcoholism. I like the way this book is written because it is through a child’s perspective demonstrating how a child might feel when a parent drinks. The use of analogies and comparisons allow children to understand the message being conveyed. “The people who drink from these bottles are just like the bottles. Before they drink, they are full. But after they drink, they seem empty.” This puts alcohol into children’s terms so that they can better comprehend it. In addition to the unique text being written through a child’s eyes, the illustrations were also for small children. I liked that the illustrations were directly explanatory of the text so that the child could relate. It almost made the book informational all the while telling a fictional story.

The end of this book gives the character suggestions and advice for what to do when her mommy is drinking. “It’s not your fault mommy is drinking.” This portion allows children with similar home lives to relate to the character ad possible take the advice provided. ( )

I enjoyed this book but felt that the story was extremely heavy. The Illustrations the author used were very simple but aided the text. When the boy says “ This is me, I feel small” a image of a small boy would be presented. As well as the reoccurring image of broken bottles throughout the story really went along with the story. I also really enjoyed the language the author used. The author used similes throughout the story to help the reader better understand the text. For example “the people who drink from these bottle are just like the bottles. Before they drink, they are full. But after they drink they are empty.” This really gives the reader the feeling the author is trying to portray. The big message in this story is that you cannot control others actions but you can control your own happiness ( )

I was not a huge fan of Bottles Break. I did not like the illustrations, however, I did enjoy the the incorporation of a child's writing. The illustrations were extremely basic and simple. There were no faces drawn on any of the people and no details given at all. These images did not appeal to the emotions of the reader and it did not create a connection between the reader and the story. The ending picture of the young girl was simply drawn as a colored in figure. One thing I did like about the story was that the author incorporated messages that appeared to be written by a child. The messages ask questions like, "Why do people drink?" I think this really adds to the story and allows the reader to connect to the impact that alcoholism has on children. The main message I took from this story is for children to seek support and help if they have a parent with an alcohol problem. Also, children whose parents suffer from alcoholism need to focus on doing things that make them happy. ( )