Review - Doug's Dung

Doug's Dung (Once Upon a Garden)
by Jo Rooks
Date: 2020
Publisher: Magination Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Discover all of the lovable creatures and their stories in the Once Upon a Garden series.

Doug has trouble lifting heavy balls of dung. He just doesn't feel as strong as the other dung beetles. When Doug feels down that he isn't tough enough, a passing butterfly helps him see things in a different light and he realizes that strength comes in many forms. An uplifting story of a determined dung beetle who finds his unique strength in creating beautiful things inspired by nature, flowers, friends, and the garden.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is another cute title from the Once Upon a Garden series. In Doug's Dung, we meet a dung beetle named Doug who's not as physically strong as his friends, but who finds his strength in his creativity instead.

It's a cute theme of brains versus brawn, with the strong dung beetles eventually coming around and learning to value Doug's gifts. The illustrations are amusing, especially when Doug is turning his artistic talents loose on his dung balls.

Overall, this is another nice addition to the series. Readers who enjoyed the previous books will probably like this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Magination Press for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5

Review - Lucy's Light

Lucy's Light (Once Upon a Garden)
by Jo Rooks
Date: 2019
Publisher: Magination Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Lucy is a lightning bug and the most talented flyer in the squad. There's just one problem: she doesn't light up! When it's time to learn night flying, Lucy is anxious. She tries everything to get her light to shine but nothing works. Lucy is about to give up when her friends are captured by a nasty toad and his gang, who hatched a plan to brighten up their bog. Does Lucy have what it takes to save her friends? Or is she just an "ordinary" bug after all? A sweet story which shines a light on inner confidence, self-acceptance, and courage. Lucy learns that doing a good deed will always make you shine bright!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is the second book in the Once Upon a Garden series I've read, the first being Sophie's Shell. Technically, Lucy's Light would come first chronologically, but you really don't need to read them in any specific order.

Given how much I enjoyed Sophie's Shell, I was surprised to find that Lucy's Light is nowhere near as good. The editing needs some work (the punctuation is especially bad) and the overall story doesn't really appeal to me. I suppose it's about using your strengths, whatever those might be, even if they're different from the strengths of others.

The illustrations are still really cute, and the toad, frog, and newt villains are formidable without being too scary. The pictures are definitely the strength of this book.

Overall, I was a little bit disappointed. Lucy's Light is still a decent picture book, but it's nowhere near as good as Sophie's Shell.

Thank you to NetGalley and Magination Press for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5

Review - Sophie's Shell

Sophie's Shell (Once Upon a Garden)
by Jo Rooks
Date: 2019
Publisher: Magination Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Discover a world of lovable creatures in the Once Upon a Garden series.

Sophie was always ponders big questions, like:
Why is the sky blue?
Why are raindrops wet?
and What are stars made of?

But when Sophie starts school, there's a wobbly feeling in her tummy and she can't help popping back into her shell. She is left with one big question: Why am I so shy?

When Sophie meets Stanley, she realizes that she's not the only one who feels shy. Can she gain the confidence to help a new friend?

A heart warming tale about a sensitive snail who overcomes her shyness with a little help from her new friends.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Sophie's Shell is about a little snail named Sophie who starts school and must face her newfound shyness with the help of a friend.

I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. Often, I'm not that impressed with books that tackle emotional subjects with the aim of "helping" kids; they usually seem like they're trying too hard. But this book is pretty cute. I loved Sophie's classmates (all creepy-crawlies you might find in a garden), and the writing was fairly strong. If I have one complaint, though, it's with Sophie's defense mechanism, at least at first. When she feels shy, she suddenly (and involuntarily) retracts into her shell. This is accompanied by the word "Pop!" The first time it happened, though, it took me a moment to realize what was going on. After the pop, we see Sophie's shell, but not her head. The text doesn't say anything like, "She popped back into her shell!" so the reader needs to be paying attention to the pictures. (It's definitely not going to work as an audiobook.)

Overall, though, this is a cute story with fun illustrations about overcoming shyness and fear with the help of friends. It might be a good choice for shy kids who are just starting out at school as a tool for reassurance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Magination Press for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5