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 - We Will Rock Our Classmates

We Will Rock Our Classmates (Penelope #2)
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2020
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

Readers will twist and shout for this headbanging companion to the #1 New York Times best-selling We Don't Eat Our Classmates.

Penelope is a T. rex, and she's very good at it. She also likes to rock out on guitar! With the school talent show coming up, Penelope can't wait to perform for her classmates. But sharing who you are can be show-stoppingly scary, especially when it's not what people expect. Will Penelope get by with a little help from her friends?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

We Will Rock Our Classmates is just as cute as We Don't Eat Our Classmates. This time, Penelope the T. rex is getting ready for the school talent show. But when it comes time to rehearse, she freezes and loses all her confidence. She's just a T. rex, after all, and they don't rock 'n' roll.

Or do they?

With some reassurance from her dad, Penelope comes to value herself and realize that, even though she's a T. rex, she's a lot of other wonderful things as well.

The pictures are adorable. Higgins has created a character that readers will empathize with and want to cheer for. The same touches of humour that lit up the first book can also be found here.

I'd recommend this one to readers who enjoyed the first book about Penelope, as well as those who are looking for empowering books about having faith in yourself and your talents... whatever they might be.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Review - Santa Bruce

Santa Bruce (Bruce #5)
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2018
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: hardcover
Source: library

Bruce is a lot of things. He is a bear. He is a grump. He is a pretty decent cook. And he is a mother.
One thing Bruce is not?
Santa Claus.
But that doesn't stop the whole forest from lining up to give him their Christmas wishes when he becomes the victim of mistaken identity - again.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Boy, are those mice ever annoying!

Poor Bruce. All he wants to do is enjoy his winter staycation at home. But he doesn't like the cold much, so he wears his long underwear and hat. Unfortunately, they're red, which leads to him being mistaken for Santa Claus. The mice take it one step further by telling everyone in the forest that Bruce will be delivering presents to all the kids!

Bruce does manage to make the best of things. Even though he's grumpy, he goes along with the scheme (he's not a terrible bear, really). With his geese dressed up as ineffectual reindeer, Bruce sets out to make Christmas merry for the whole neighbourhood.

The pictures are just as fun in this book as they are in all the others. And I don't really mind the story. But... those mice are really starting to grate on my nerves. They're so presumptuous! It was funny at first, but now I'm starting to wonder if they're pathological.

In any case, if you've been following Bruce's story from the beginning, you'll want to check out Santa Bruce as well, if for no other reason than to be able to say you've read the whole series.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5

Review - Bruce's Big Move

Bruce's Big Move (Bruce #4)
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2017
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: hardcover
Source: library

After the events of Hotel Bruce, the curmudgeonly bear shares his home with not only his four geese, but three rowdy mice besides! Fed up with their shenanigans, Bruce sets off to find a rodent-free household. But as usual, nothing goes quite according to plan...

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Bruce is finding his home a bit crowded. So he packs up the kids (his four geese) and sets off for a new home. At first, nothing seems quite right, but then the family finds exactly what they're looking for. Unfortunately, it seems that what Bruce was running away from has followed them...

These books are all cute in their way, but I'm finding that I'm just not enjoying the subsequent installments as much as I did Mother Bruce. The pictures are great and the premise is funny, but I guess I'm just wanting... more.

Definitely a must-read if you're a fan of the character, though. And there's always something fun to notice in the illustrations.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5

Review - Hotel Bruce

Hotel Bruce (Bruce #2)
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2016
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 38
Format: hardcover
Source: library

When Bruce gets home from a southern migration trip with his goslings, he is tired. He is grumpy. And he is definitely not in the mood to share his home with the trio of mice who have turned his den into a hotel.

There's a possum pillow fight wreaking havoc in one room, a fox luring guests into a stew in the kitchen, and a snuggly crew of critters hogging the bed. Bruce growls and grumbles and tries to throw them all out, but the entrepreneurial mice just can't take a hint. Bruce is in a little over his head, especially once the goslings join the staff. Will this grumpy bear ever get his quiet, peaceful den back to himself?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Our library only had books #1 and #3 in e-book format, and I already read those, so I'm going back and trying to read the ones I missed in hardcover.

This is the second book in Bruce's series. It doesn't really stand on its own. I mean, I guess it can, but it's a lot more fun when you've read the first book and you understand the relationship between Bruce and his goslings. In this installment, he's just come back from taking the kids south (on a bus!) and returns to find that three enterprising mice have turned his house into a hotel. The intruders have even put up new wallpaper!

There are plenty of clever little things to look at in the pictures, and I loved the fox chef trying to coax the turtles into the "bath". Bruce's reaction is predictable, both for a bear and for someone who's had his space violated.

The only thing I'm not really sure about is the ending. It's kind of abrupt, and it almost seems like there's something missing. Having read the next book in the series--which is about the mice--I'm even more confused. I guess I'll have to read the fourth book to see what happens to Bruce and his family.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.17 out of 5

Review - Wilfred

Wilfred
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2013
Publisher: Dial Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: hardcover
Source: library

In the tradition of Calvin & Hobbes and Dr. Seuss comes a new story of unlikely friendship.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a humongous and hairy giant named Wilfred. Whenever people saw him, they ran away, which made life very lonely for Wilfred. That is, until he found himself in a rather unusual town where one brave little boy saw something special in the timid giant. So begins a story of friendship and sacrifice that will remind readers just how important one voice – no matter how small – can be.

In this moving debut, Ryan Higgins shows his knack for blending humor and heart, and gives Lorax fans an unforgettable new hero.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Another winner from Ryan T. Higgins!

This is actually his debut, but it's just as fun and sweet as some of his later books. There's a big hairy giant named Wilfred who's kind of lonely. There's a town full of people who have no hair. When Wilfred tries to make friends, only one little bald boy sticks around. Wilfred does pretty much whatever the boy asks him to do, and they have some fun, with Wilfred promising to come back so they can play some more.

But the rest of the bald townspeople want hair (I love how goofy this story is!) so they tell Wilfred he can't be big and hairy. Since there's nothing he can do about being big, he lets them take all his hair, which they make into wigs for themselves. Then he's cold, and he doesn't come back to play... so the boy goes in search of his friend.

Everything turns out all right in the end, of course. The illustrations are kind of hilarious (in the same style as those in We Don't Eat Our Classmates). The expressions on Wilfred's face are particularly enjoyable.

This is a great story with a sweet message. Just because someone is kind doesn't mean you should take advantage of them. It's not really a message I've seen much in children's literature (except for maybe in The Giving Tree, but that book is more depressing than heartwarming).

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.33 out of 5

Review - Be Quiet!

Be Quiet! (Bruce #3)
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2017
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

All Rupert the mouse wants is to star in a beautiful, wordless picturebook. One that's visually stimulating! With scenic pictures! And style! He has plenty of ideas about what makes a great book, but his friends just WON'T. STOP. TALKING. Children and adults alike will chuckle at this comedic take on bookmaking from acclaimed author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is the third picture book by Ryan T. Higgins that I've read. While it isn't my favourite, it's still really good.

Rupert the mouse decides he wants to make a wordless picture book because they're "very artistic". Unfortunately, his two friends have other ideas. They mean well, but while they're trying to help, they just keep talking. The result is that there are words on every page of this "wordless" picture book.

The illustrations are as charming as ever, with great facial expressions on Rupert and his friends and a detailed forest setting. Characters from some of Higgins's other books even make cameos. While this book is a little short on story, it's still plenty amusing, and the characters are great.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - Mother Bruce

Mother Bruce (Bruce #1)
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2015
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

Bruce the bear likes to keep to himself. That, and eat eggs. But when his hard-boiled goose eggs turn out to be real, live goslings, he starts to lose his appetite. And even worse, the goslings are convinced he's their mother. Bruce tries to get the geese to go south, but he can't seem to rid himself of his new companions. What's a bear to do?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I read We Don't Eat Our Classmates yesterday, and today I had the pleasure of reading Mother Bruce... and now I want to read all of Ryan T. Higgins's books!

The story in this one is simple and sweet, but it was the illustrations that really made it for me. Watching Bruce raise the goslings from cute little babies to surly teenagers to "boring" adults (the book's word, not mine) was so much fun. I loved the amusing ways Bruce tried to deal with his problem, and enjoyed the heartwarming ending. The book doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's pretty funny at times; there's something kind of hilarious about a bear looking up recipes on the Internet and then pillaging the forest for the necessary ingredients.

This is another winner from Higgins, a picture book that will be just as fun for adults to read as it will be for kids to listen to.

Quotable moment:

But Bruce didn't eat
eggs raw like other bears.

Instead, he cooked them
into fancy recipes that
he found on the internet.

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.67 out of 5

Review - We Don't Eat Our Classmates

We Don't Eat Our Classmates (Penelope #1)
by Ryan T. Higgins
Date: 2018
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all....

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This book is way too cute. It teaches compassion and empathy in a gentle, funny way.

Penelope really wants to make friends in kindergarten, but she just can't stop herself from eating her classmates. (Fortunately, "eating" them consists mainly of putting them in her mouth. Aside from ending up slobbery, the kids are physically unharmed.) Then all the kids become afraid of her, and she's left with nobody but the class goldfish, Walter, for company. And let's just say that Walter has issues of his own...

The illustrations are really adorable. Penelope likes ponies (because they're delicious), so we see that reflected in her backpack, lunchbox, and bedding. Her room is pretty cute, too; instead of human dolls, she has dinosaur dollies (of course). And I like how diverse her class is, with kids of different ethnicities and religions represented. I guess if you've got a T. rex thrown in there as well, the class can't help but be diverse.

This book has a great message about putting yourself in other people's shoes. Penelope finally sees her eating habits from the opposite side, and she realizes that what she was doing wasn't so pleasant (at least, not for the kids being eaten). She still gets the urge to eat her classmates from time to time--she is a T. rex, after all--but the lesson sticks with her, and she remembers how being on the "eaten" side feels.

There's just enough goofiness in the story to make it amusing, while still imparting an important message. I really enjoyed this book, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.67 out of 5