Posted by Ruth
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Incredibook!, Picture Books, Review
Tags:Animals, Easy Read, Good Read Aloud, Graeme Base, Quick Read
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A tale of greed and high adventure in two acts. In which our heroine Pearl Trout, along with her brother and the brave Corporal Bert, must thwart the villainous Gropmund Grouper and his devious scheme to not only cheat the inhabitants of Reeftown out of their money, but to destroy the very town itself!
Graeme Base’s combination of beautifully-done, full-color pages of illustrations with perfectly (and often comical) rhyming prose makes for such an enjoyable experience. It’s a terrific read-aloud, but everyone will surely want to go through and study each picture by their self, too. As with most of Base’s books, there are hidden things to be found—in this case, the sign of the seahorse is tucked somewhere on every page, and close examination will also reveal the continual appearance of “two largely unnoticed shrimps,” to quote the list of the Cast. All in all, great fun for any age.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Fiction, Picture Books, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Beethoven, Cats, Daniel Manus Pinkwater, Dogs, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Horses, Marines, Out of Print, rain
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One dreary morning, Mrs. Submarine lets the cat in because it looks miserable out in the rain. This begins a hilarious series of visitors taking shelter from the rain, including a wildebeest, the Submarines’ car, and Beethoven.
Here’s a great book that is just a lot fun. That’s it. Nothing profound, no “lesson” at the end. And not just for the kids. Daniel Pinkwater also embeds wholesome humor that will go over the head of the child and be caught by the owner of the lap they are sitting on. Definitely worthwhile for a good laugh.
Posted by Sarah
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Cats, Freddy the Pig, Horses, Martians, Moles, Pigs, Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy the pig and Jinx the cat (along with their steeds, Bill the goat and Cy the pony) are all ready to go on a trip, when a call for help arrives from Uncle Ben. He has plans for a flying saucer, given to him by the Martians, but can’t begin work on a saucer because tons of spies are following him everywhere, trying to obtain the prized plans. It’s time for Freddy to step in and lend a hand, er, trotter.
Freddy is back! There is a fun plot twist, and tons of spies all fighting each other for the plans. An enjoyable new character, Samuel the mole, is introduced. I especially like the part with him at the end.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, Bryan Davis, Dragons, Long Read, Oracles of Fire, Scary
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If a sin is committed in Second Eden, a way will open for evil to get in. Oracle of Fire Acacia, son of Shem Elam, and former underworld slave Paili all arrive in Second Eden to stop such a crisis. Meanwhile, Ashley, Walter, and dragon Thigocia have all come to Second Eden as well. All of them realize how crucial the success of their mission is to the survival of the universe. But will they recognize the threat before it is too late?
At the same time, Billy Bannister tries to find out why his friend Bonnie and her mother have both taken off for fear of dragon slayers. It will take a trans-dimensional journey and many old friends to unravel the mystery that ultimately will bring them back to an ancient enemy.
I’m always left with a sense of just having gotten off a roller coaster when I finish these books. All of the characters have something to learn, something to accomplish, and are all important to the story. This may be overwhelmingly complicated, but that’s what makes this so good. It’s a depth of story that I don’t usually see in fantasy. Although Last of the Nephilim is a little bit slower than Bryan Davis’ other books that I have read, it is still well worth reading. I’m looking forward to the hair-raising conclusion that must be coming in Bones of Makaidos.
Posted by Sarah
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Incredibook!, Picture Books, Review
Tags:Animals, Bears, Easy Read, Elephants, Funny, Moose, Quick Read, Sandra Boynton, turkeys
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An elephant, a moose, a bear, and a turkey are all trying on outfits, but the turkey is having a hard time figuring out just how to put things on properly.
This is my favorite board book! A funny book with cute illustrations, and the ending is great!