Review - Poppy & Sam and the Mole Mystery

Poppy & Sam and the Mole Mystery
by Cathon
Date: 2019
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

It’s a new day in the garden, and Poppy and Sam are paying a visit to their friend Snuggles Molesy. But Snuggles is in a pickle, looking for a lost pair of pretty pink glasses! Sleuths Poppy and Sam begin to investigate: all around the garden, along the shore of the creek, and even inside the pies Snuggles had been baking. Along the way, they ask the other critters they encounter.

Poppy and Sam don’t have much luck finding the glasses, but they do come across a variety of other treasures: a flowered umbrella, a flute, a yellow spinning top, and more. By the end of the story, they set up a whimsical lost and found with all of these objects—and finally find the rosy specs, while their fellow garden friends find misplaced treasures of their own.

The second Poppy and Sam adventure, this picture book/graphic novel hybrid is full of friendly characters, charming details, and a fun and suspenseful storyline that will be sure to delight young readers.

(synopsis from NetGalley; see it on Goodreads)

This is a graphic novel for young children. The story is simple, the illustrations are sort of cute, and the writing is decent. I'm not sure it's really my thing (it reads really young), but I can see it having appeal for younger readers who are just getting started with the graphic novel format.

There are some cute touches in the illustrations (like the titles of books characters are reading), and the whimsical setting gives the story a magical feel. Everything from a panda to a child somehow fits under a fly agaric mushroom, so we're obviously dealing with a bit of fantasy here (as if the talking mole and spiders didn't clue you in). But I kind of like the overall look of the book with its simple character drawings and clear facial expressions.

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

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing & Editing: 3/5
Illustration: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5