Delilah and the Missing Curtains
David Farkas
Independently published (2025)
ISBN: 979-8315687498
Reviewed by Diana Coyle for Reader Views (06/2025)
Delilah the Ant has just moved with her family to a town called Newmark in Delilah and the Missing Curtains: A Child’s Guide to Gratitude and Happiness by David Farkas. Since their moving truck hasn’t arrived yet, they have to sleep with the bare minimum in their treehouse overnight. When the movers finally arrive, they bring in all the belongings, and the family begins settling into their new house. Delilah has plenty of things to fill her room, enough to make other ants envious of her, but she doesn’t seem to be happy enough with what she already has to decorate her room.
She would love to have new pink curtains to put on her bedroom window. That is, until her mom explains to her that she’s looking at things the wrong way. Instead of constantly wanting more new items, Delilah should make a list of all the things she has and is grateful for. Does Delilah learn the new lesson her mom tries to teach her?
This is one of those children’s stories that will delight readers of any age. The story is told in rhyming cadence, and readers will easily fall into the rhyming pattern as they read along. Delilah and the Missing Curtains is a delight to read out loud to fully enjoy the sing-song rhythm Mr. Farkas had created throughout the entire story.
This is the second story in the A Child’s Guide series, and it succeeds in accomplishing the goal of teaching children a life lesson without coming off preachy or pushy to young readers aged 4 to 12. It is enjoyable to read how Delilah is so caught up in the fact that she wants brand-new pink curtains for her bedroom, but she never puts any thought into what she already owns. When her mom taught her the lesson of writing down everything she already had to see how blessed she was, this immediately felt like the perfect teachable exercise that every parent/teacher/guardian could do with the children in their lives. Children will walk away seeing how gratitude is a better way of looking at life than constantly desiring more things that aren’t necessary.
The illustrations by Brittany Farkas are provided on almost every page of this delightful children’s story. Each picture is a full-page depiction of the written story that perfectly complements the action. They are done in muted colors, with some pictures being hand-drawn and colored in, while others appear more program-created. Readers will easily stop to take in the adorable illustrations that tell Delilah’s story. Ms. Farkas is not only an illustrator, but she is also David’s wife, a fellow musician, and mom to their three young children.
David Farkas is a longtime actor, musician, water polo coach, writer, dad, and husband to Brittany. They teamed together to create books that will not only entertain, but also teach young children. Their A Child’s Guide series aims to help children develop into honest, honorable, and mentally tough adults.
Delilah and the Missing Curtains: A Child’s Guide to Gratitude and Happiness by David Farkas is a story that will entertain readers of all ages while teaching a simple lesson to make them see how they should always be grateful for what they have in their lives. Well done, Mr. Farkas!