Review - Bo the Brave

Bo the Brave
by Bethan Woollvin
Date: 2020
Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A feisty little girl learns who the real monsters are in this brilliantly funny medieval adventure.

Once, there lived a little girl called Bo. Bo wanted to be just like her brothers and capture a fearsome monster. Bo is small, too small to catch a monster--or so her brothers say. But Bo isn't one to take no for an answer, so she sets off on a quest to catch a monster of her own. Can she defeat the furious griffin, conquer the hideous kraken, and triumph over the monstrous dragon? Or has Bo got the wrong idea who the real monsters are?

Author-illustrator Bethan Woollvin, the creator of the New York Times Best Illustrated Little Red, employs her signature style in this original fairy tale with a clever twist. Readers are sure to fall in love with Woollvin's newest vibrant and sassy protagonist.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

While this book definitely has a distinctive look with its unusual colour palette, I was less than impressed by the story, which is basically just a little girl learning that you shouldn't judge people (or creatures) based on their appearance. The title implies that the theme is bravery, but it's actually more about acceptance.

Bo wants to go hunting monsters with her older brothers. But they tell her she's too small. So she goes to hunt some on her own. But each time she finds what she thinks is a monster, her mind is changed when she starts to interact with the creature. When she encounters a sad dragon, she learns that its baby is missing. Bo and her new friends rescue the baby dragon from its captors (I'm sure you can guess who they are) and everyone agrees not to go monster hunting anymore.

The writing is just okay. A character sneered his speech right at the beginning (argh!) but other than that, it wasn't terrible. I liked Bo's refrain of, "Get ready to be got!"

Whether you like the illustrations will be a matter of taste. I don't personally care for the style here, but the pictures are colourful (in a palette of black, white, grey, magenta, orange, and teal) and will probably appeal to some readers. There are some cute details throughout the book (including in the maps at the beginning and end).

Overall, this isn't bad, but I don't know if it's a book that I'd be rushing to read again. Kids who like stories about questing and magical creatures are probably the audience for this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishing Company for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5

Review - The Button Book

The Button Book
by Sally Nicholls
illustrated by Bethan Woollvin
Date: 2020
Publisher: Tundra Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

This silly and sweet picture book introduces young children to colors through humor and clever interactive elements. For fans of Hervé Tullet's Press Here.

Here's a button. I wonder what happens when you press it?

Follow a group of animal friends as they discover a collection of mysterious buttons, all of which do different things!

From a blue singing button to a purple tickle button, from a rude sound button to a mysterious white button, there's only one way to find out what they do: press them all! And thankfully, there's even a sleeping button to lull the animals to sleep after a busy day.

A lively introduction to colors and shapes, The Button Book is the perfect interactive book for storytime (and bedtime!).

(synopsis from NetGalley; see it on Goodreads)

The Button Book is one of those interactive picture books in the same vein as Bill Cotter's Don't Push the Button! series. It doesn't break the fourth wall to the same extent, as the "story" is about a group of animals finding various coloured buttons to push. Each button is a different shape and has a specific function: everything from blowing raspberries to having tickle fights.

I can see some kids really loving this (and some parents groaning when the book gets pulled out of the bookshelf). I don't know if I'm a huge fan of these interactive books, as they often don't have much of a story and rely on interaction with the reader for much of the enjoyment. (This is probably not one you're going to want to read at bedtime because of its potential to wind kids up.)

For what it is, it's fine. If you like this kind of picture book, you'll likely find much to enjoy here.

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

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.67 out of 5