Truly engaging and endearing characters (my daughter is an animal lover and had endless questions about the characters in this story), an entertaining plot, a unique backdrop for the story that taught both me and my daughter a great deal about the salt marshes of Florida, a totally enjoyable experience overall. 

Elanora and the Salt Marsh Mystery features interesting animal characters with distinctive character traits and personalities who can absorb the young reader. The salt marsh environment is sufficiently detailed to become a character on its own, with its ebbs and flows. The self-contained world created stands on its own with a microcosm of both conflict and friendship.

My teenager understood the complexity of the relationships, and we all learned something new about the ecosystem. My youngest child appreciated the way the author used vivid descriptions of animals, and we worked together to guess which animal the author was describing. We really loved the beautifully illustrated pictures at the front of the book. It was fun to experience the world through a chipmunk’s point of view! We enjoyed the book so much we recently purchased another one to gift to our family!