The Soulful Adventure of Spencer, the Soft-Hearted Seal

By: Margaret Lepera

Narrated by: Margaret Lepera

Length: 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Finalist, BookCon’s “The Spark” 2019, sponsored by Publishers Weekly

A tiny baby seal pup, lost in a gust of icy wind. How will he find his way home?

Just eight days old, Spencer seal tumbles down the side of a big hill and becomes lost after being separated from his brother. Bit by bit, he struggles to find his way even though he feels small and unsure of himself as a baby just learning to move his flippers.

Spencer must learn to go where his heart guides him as he meets new friends who help reunite him with his family.

Discover this heartwarming story of love, friendship, and courage.

©2019 Margaret Lepera (P)2019 Margaret Lepera

Heartwarming!

A beautiful story with lovely lessons for children to carry forward. We loved listening to the beautiful narration, which captured our attention and was soothing. I recommend the book highly for children!

wonderful

This is a delightful story with a positive, meaningful message. And it is beautifully narrated!

Enjoyable for all ages.

At only eight days old, Spencer the seal pup has a lot to learn about life. Lucky for him, he is surrounded by a loving family that wants nothing but the best for him. One day, Spencer and his older brother Sullivan are out on the ice together when an unexpected gust of wind disorients Spencer and causes him to become lost inside the blowing snow. A kind human family steps in at just the right moment to help, but being lost is not the only concern facing Spencer and other seals like him.

This charming story is one that is easy for families to enjoy together. Written as a short novel, the narrative is subdivided into episodes that make Spencer’s story more approachable if families are not able to read it all at once. Spencer is the primary character, and the narrative often speaks directly to young readers when there is a need to explain potentially challenging words or experiences. Sweet and sensitive, Spencer the seal shares many of the same trepidations and challenges as his human counterparts. Through patience, understanding, and kindness, animals of various types are able to connect with one another in a positive and uplifting way within the pages of this story as they work together to get Spencer back home again.

In the written book, watercolor illustrations are found within each chapter and serve to enhance the visual component of the story. These images depict Spencer and his surroundings in soft shades that connect readers to the Arctic landscape Spencer and his family call home. Readers will appreciate the visual respite that comes with the inclusion of these pictures, and young children will especially connect with the images as they enjoy listening to the story being read aloud.

Readers of all ages will particularly enjoy the audiobook of this story, as well. Narrated by the author, it is filled with the emotion that is depicted in the text through capital letters and ample exuberant punctuation. While this textual choice can be somewhat visually intense in the book itself, it comes across beautifully in the audio recording. Expert character voicing and good sound effects make the story come alive for readers, and it is short enough to easily return to on multiple occasions.

As an animal activist herself, the author’s deep feelings about animals and nature are easy to discern in this story. Each of the characters in the book speaks a different language, but their internal desires are clear despite their inability to fully communicate with one another. Readers of all ages will appreciate the tenacity and perseverance demonstrated by Spencer throughout the story, and they will likewise enjoy the steady pacing of the narrative. Lovingly delivered, this story has moments that will remind readers of the classic early reader Are You My Mother, and families are sure to enjoy this charming tale while snuggled up together.



I received a copy of this book from the author and I chose to leave this review.

For everyone to listen too. Not just once either!

The narrating was beautiful. My special needs children that I work with really enjoyed listening to it. We listened to it once a week at school.

A very well-done children's book.

The Soulful Adventure of Spencer, the Soft-hearted Seal is a wonderful children's book. Margaret Lepera's heart shines through in every word, both written and spoken. The story is sweet, and also relevant and important, and her voice brings it to light beautifully.

Soulful Adventure of Spencer, the soft-hearted sea

A lovely story about compassion, friendship, love and respect of all living creatures. Nicely narrated by it's author, Margaret Lepera. Thank you.

Soulful Little Spencer

I greatly enjoyed this story of the soft-hearted seal, Spencer. Listening to the audio edition was perfect, Margaret's voice is soulful, soft and engaging. This is book will be a part of my classroom and home libraries forever.

A beautiful story with a great message!

I truly enjoyed this story, as well as Margaret Lepera's inspired performance. Right from the start I found myself immediately rooting for the main character, a baby seal named Spencer, and felt a genuine concern for him as his adventure began.

Margaret's heartfelt and soulful performance makes all the characters so real that I can't even imagine anyone not getting fully emotionally involved as they listen to her tell this beautiful story.

As an animal lover, I was also particularly touched by the obvious compassion the author feels toward animals, or as she puts it, all sentient beings.

Highly recommended!!

Wonderful Heartwarming Story.

I can't say enough good things about The Soulful Adventure of Spencer, The Soft-hearted Seal! What an incredible feel-good story! The author/narrator takes us on delightful journey with a precious seal pup who becomes separated from his family. As he faces challenges in his efforts to find his way home she introduces us to a variety of lovable characters and a requisite villain, all while skillfully weaving positive messages into the tale. I smiled, got teary-eyed, was hopeful, then cheered as the sweet little pup and his helpful new friends successfully completed their quest. I was surprised to feel so moved by a childrens book. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to brighten their day and put a smile on their face. I can't wait to share it with my family, big and small!