Review - Camelea Like a Seagull

Camelea Like a Seagull (Camelea #1)
by Frank Chaput & Suzanne Gohier
illustrated by Suzanne Gohier
Date: 2013
Publisher: Camelea inc.
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 24
Format: e-book
Source: Kobo

After a great birthday celebration for her brother, Camelea is too excited to sleep. Replaying the events of the day in her head, she finds a way to calm down. Camelea’s fantasy hairdo helps her fall asleep easily.

Using the power of her imagination, Camelea finds within herself the confidence to face her fears. Her enthusiasm and resourcefulness are an inspiration to children as they learn to meet the challenges of everyday life.

Immerse yourself in the fantasy world of Camelea. Discover the ways she has found to build her confidence and feel good about herself.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I'm really not sure what to make of this. It's free, inoffensive, and colourful. It's also not that interesting.

The actual book really doesn't deliver what the blurb promises. Basically, Camelea is waiting for her brother's birthday party. She sees some flowers. Her mother braids her hair to resemble them. She sees a seagull and gets mesmerized by the waters of the lake. She dances at the party. There are fireworks. Everyone is too excited to sleep... so Camelea imagines that her hair is water.

Got that?

The "plot" (such as it is) is meandering and rather vague. The ending is trippy. And the whole thing reads as if we're dropped into the middle of the series, when this is actually the first book. Characters are just named, and you're supposed to figure out who they are. (I'm still not sure who Carl is. Uncle? Cousin? Who knows?)

The illustrations are... strange. There are drawings combined with photographic elements, and while the end result is colourful and not awful to look at, it also has a weird, surreal sort of quality, and all the characters look like Lilo from Lilo & Stitch. (I did like the illustration of all the boys in their sleeping bags, though. That was cute.)

Overall, this is probably a book I'll soon forget. It's not completely terrible, though, and it's free, so there's no harm in giving it a try.

Premise: 1/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2 out of 5

Review - Spring Stinks

Spring Stinks
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2021
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Ruth the bunny is excited to share the smells of spring with Bruce, but Bruce thinks spring stinks!

Fans of the best-selling Mother Bruce series will cheer for this festive book blooming with visual humor just right for our littlest readers.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

While this isn't quite at the same level as the Mother Bruce books, it's still an entertaining little book about an exuberant bunny named Ruth who tries to engage Bruce the bear with all the scents of spring.

There's not much of a story like there is in the other books. This would probably be more suited to very young readers. The illustrations are great, though, with funny facial expressions and cute critters romping through the pages. I can't really find much to fault there.

While I was hoping for another story about the curmudgeonly bear and his geese kids, I'm not too disappointed by this little diversion. Fans of Bruce will surely eat it up.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5

Review - ABCs of Economics

ABCs of Economics
by Chris Ferrie & Veronica Goodman
illustrated by Chris Ferrie
Date: 2020
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 26
Format: e-book
Source: library

Chris Ferrie's bestselling scientific series is expanding!

It only takes a small spark to ignite a child's mind! The ABCs of Economics introduces babies (and grownups!) to a new economic concept for each letter of the alphabet. From asymmetric, business cycle, and capital, all the way to zero sum. It's never too early to become an economist!

With scientific and mathematical information from an expert, this is the perfect book for enlightening the next generation of geniuses.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's never too early to become an economist? Um... I think it can be.

I laughed my way through this one. It's a board book about economic principles. Teach your toddlers about Keynesian Economics and Nash Equilibrium! Make sure your infant knows all about zero-sum situations. Seriously? This is one of those books that's aimed squarely at adults, a book they can leave out when their friends are over to signal how brilliant Junior is. Never mind that the baby would rather chew the thing than listen to anything that's between its covers.

Also, X is not for eXternalities. If you're aiming an alphabet book at an audience that doesn't even know the alphabet yet, don't confuse them.

I question the value of this even for older children. I found parts of it confusing as an adult. Formatting it as a board book limits the audience, too, as older kids will probably turn their noses up at it. This is for pretentious, virtue-signalling parents who want the world to know how special their baby is. Really, though, they're probably the only ones who will get anything out of the book.

Premise: 1/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 1.83 out of 5

Review - People Don't Bite People

People Don't Bite People
by Lisa Wheeler
illustrated by Molly Idle
Date: 2018
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Lisa Wheeler and Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator Molly Idle remind overeager little biters that biting is for food in this hysterical read-aloud picture book. Learning good behavior has never been so fun!

It’s good to bite a carrot.
It’s good to bite a steak.
It’s bad to bite your sister!
She’s not a piece of cake.

Cause…
People don’t bite people!
That’s what this book’s about.
So if you find
you’re tooth-inclined—
you’d better check it out!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I read the companion book, People Share With People, back in 2019 and have wanted to get my hands on People Don't Bite People ever since. While I did enjoy this book, I don't think it's quite as strong as its successor, and it may appeal to a more limited audience.

In jaunty rhyme, this book explains all about how you shouldn't bite others. Accompanying the cute text are Molly Idle's charming illustrations. I really can't fault the premise here, although biting was never an issue with me (or anyone I knew). This might make the book little more than an amusing diversion for many children if they're not biters. I'm also not loving the first rhyme that tells kids it's good to bite a steak. Alienating vegetarian readers on the very first page probably isn't the wisest thing to do.

Overall, though, I would recommend this one... but I'd recommend People Share With People even more strongly since it's liable to be applicable to more readers overall. Fans of Molly Idle's art will definitely want to check this book out, too. (Also, check out the dedication to see where Lisa Wheeler found the inspiration for this book!)

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5