Friday, November 16, 2018

Review - Chilly da Vinci

Chilly da Vinci
by J. Rutland
Date: 2018
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

While others do “penguin” things, Chilly da Vinci—self-declared inventor penguin, builds machines that don’t work…yet! Chilly ties into the popular "maker" movement with humor and imagination.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a book that I thought would really work well for me. Loosely (very loosely) based on Leonardo da Vinci's life and inventions, Chilly da Vinci tells the story of a penguin whose invention accidentally puts him and a few of his friends in danger. He then has to create something else to solve their dilemma and reunite them safely with the rest of the penguins.

There was something about the story that just didn't flow for me. At times, I almost felt like there were pages missing. For example, Chilly might make a comment, and I wouldn't be sure what he was referring to. There were also a few editing issues, including one where an extra word completely changed the meaning of a sentence, and another where a dangling participle compared a penguin (not his soft landing) to snowflakes:

Like snowflakes, I used air currents to ease down onto the 'berg.

I guess that book I read the other day, Don't Dangle Your Participle, could be valuable to adults as well as kids!

It was neat to see all the little hints tying Chilly to Leonardo. But, ultimately, the story was too thin and a little too scattered for my taste. With a bit more editing to tighten it up, I think it could be better.

Quotable moment:


Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.5 out of 5

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