Review - All About Allosaurus

All About Allosaurus
by Greg Gormley
illustrated by Dean Gray
Date: 2020
Publisher: QEB Publishing
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 24
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A fun story that introduces children to different dinosaurs, with a light message on inclusion and friendship.

Allosaurus is fed up. All anyone ever talks about is T. rex. T. rex this and T. rex that. Well he thinks it's his turn now—he's going to write a book all about him. Allosaurus sets to work, but soon everyone wants to be in his book. With a page for everyone, there might not be room for Allosaurus after all. And just what will happen when T. rex finds out she isn't included?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This was surprisingly bad. I thought the premise sounded really cute, and the cover sucked me in. While the premise might've been okay if executed differently, and the illustrations are fun, the rest of the book is a bit of a mess.

The main issue I had was with the writing. It's all over the place, and it's terribly distracting. The story is told by Allosaurus, and he's writing a book. So he's narrating in the first person, and that includes his dialogue (which isn't set off by quotation marks). The other dinosaurs' speech is set off by quotation marks. Then we've got a slightly different font for the stuff that's actually going into Allosaurus's book. Confused yet?

I'm assuming from the parents' note at the back that the other dinosaurs are supposed to be selfish because they want to be in Allosaurus's book. But if Allosaurus is tired of hearing all about T. rex, it stands to reason that maybe the other dinosaurs feel the same way. So why is it selfish for them to want to be in a book and not for Allosaurus? The self-deprecating compliment-fishing going on at the end is kind of off-putting, too. And I really don't like the way Allosaurus finally wrote about himself in the book. Why? Because it doesn't talk about him in his own right, but in comparison with T. rex. Teaching children that their traits are only valid in comparison to someone else's seems questionable at best.

The pictures are cute, but the writing made me want to pull my hair out:

"Can I be in it, Allosaurus?"
No, Triceratops. It's all about ME.
"But I'm your top best friend."
Oh, alright then.
"Yay!"
Triceratops is terrifically strong.
She has a fabulous collar, three horns on her head and is very good at eating her vegetables.
Now, where to begin about me, hmm...

Maybe dinosaurs aren't supposed to be good at grammar and paragraph structure. This one wasn't, in any case.

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

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5

Review - All of a Sudden and Forever

All of a Sudden and Forever
by Chris Barton
illustrated by Nicole Xu
Date: 2020
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A profoundly moving nonfiction picture book about tragedy, hope, and healing from award-winning author Chris Barton.

Sometimes bad things happen, and you have to tell everyone. Sometimes terrible things happen, and everybody knows. On April 19, 1995, something terrible happened in Oklahoma City: a bomb exploded, and people were hurt and killed. But that was not the end of the story. Those who survived—and those who were forever changed—shared their stories and began to heal. Near the site of the bomb blast, an American elm tree began to heal as well. People took care of the tree just as they took care of each other. The tree and its seedlings now offer solace to people around the world grappling with tragedy and loss.

Released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, this book commemorates what was lost and offers hope for the future.

(synopsis from NetGalley; see it on Goodreads)

As this is a picture book about the Oklahoma City bombing, it's not exactly something one reads for enjoyment. While I appreciate the intent behind the book, and think it could be a valuable teaching tool, I can't really say that I liked it, or that it's going to be appropriate for everyone.

The narrative is quite simple and focuses mostly on the aftermath and the healing process. (The bomber isn't even named, and the bombing itself takes up a very small part of the narrative.) Much is made of the Survivor Tree, an elm that withstood the blast and has since been propagated and shared as a way to keep life going in the face of tragedy. The pictures are kind of different; the style looks sort of like collage, and details are spare (the people have no facial features, for example). It was probably a good choice to go this route, as too much detail in this could've been overwhelming.

I think I would be really careful about who I chose to share this book with. It would have scared me pretty badly as a child, and I would've been in a panic every time I saw a white truck. If your child is a worrier like I was, and they're too young to understand the statistical unlikelihood of a similar bombing happening in their own neighbourhood, it might be best to hold off on a book like this until they're a bit older. I'd say at least eight years old, because of the inevitable questions about the bombing that are going to arise; kids need to be old enough to handle some of the other details that are going to come up when this event is explored.

But I can see this being a good classroom read. It's especially nice to see what people did to help each other in the aftermath of the bombing. Even though the details in this particular book are a little vague, it gets the ideas across and keeps the memory of the event alive for kids (and potentially their parents) who are too young to remember the bombing themselves.

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

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5

Review - Penguin's Christmas Wish

Penguin's Christmas Wish (Penguin)
by Salina Yoon
Date: 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Geisel Honor-winning author/illustrator Salina Yoon's beloved character Penguin celebrates the season in Penguin's Christmas Wish--a charming picture book that's perfect for the holidays.

Penguin can't wait to celebrate Christmas with his family and friends. But when things don't go exactly as planned, Penguin learns to find holiday magic in the most unexpected places.

Countless readers have already come to love the adorable Penguin, and Salina Yoon continues this series with a timeless story of holiday magic and the importance of family and friends.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Well, that was a waste of a few minutes. This is a picture book for oblivious kids. I was confused myself, until I realized that I was supposed to not notice something pretty glaring. Kids notice things. Don't treat them as if they're stupid.

Penguin and his friends (family?) are preparing for Christmas. Pumpkin wishes they had a real tree, so they pack up all their Christmas paraphernalia and Penguin leads them "away from their frozen home" to some forest where he's apparently on a first-name basis with one of the trees, Pinecone. The penguins decorate Pinecone, put their gifts under it, and make their Christmas wishes. Penguin's wish is to share Christmas with the whole forest. During the night, a blizzard sweeps through the forest, blowing all the ornaments off of Pinecone and scattering the presents. So Penguin has to improvise gifts. But his own Christmas wish has yet to come true. He waits all day, and then notices that the ornaments have blown onto every other tree in the forest, and all the other critters come out to join them. The wish has come true! The end.

The problem I had is that, when we first see Pinecone stripped of all the ornaments, there's another tree on the same spread that's covered in lights and baubles. So I scratched my head as I kept turning the pages. There were obviously ornaments on all the other trees. Why on earth did it take until nightfall for Penguin to notice that the blizzard had merely rearranged the ornaments? (He also didn't notice the other critters popping up until he noticed the ornaments. Either Penguin needs glasses, or he's just really slow.)

The illustrations might've saved this for me, had they been great, but they're not. The characters are drawn so simply (and without eyebrows) that there are few facial expressions to be had. Penguin has the same look on his face throughout... whether he's supposed to be upset that the blizzard has wrecked their Christmas tree or happy that his wish has finally come true.

This was a complete miss for me. By treating the reader as if they're stupid and oblivious, it makes them feel stupid and oblivious... when they're actually one step ahead of the clueless characters.

Premise: 1/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 1/5
Originality: 1/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 1.17 out of 5

Review - A Tangle of Brungles

A Tangle of Brungles
by Shobha Viswanath
illustrated by Culpeo S. Fox
Date: 2018
Publisher: Karadi Tales Picturebooks
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

To conjure up the charming Mr. Brungles, a coven of witches stir up the Great Brungle Brew. For this they toss in a parliament of owls, a cloud of bats, and a quiver of cobras, among many others. Do they succeed? The book is a hilarious twist on collective nouns.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

While I like the premise here, it isn't executed all that well. It's a shame, because this could've been quite a cute picture book.

Some witches are feeling restless, and one in particular is feeling... um... amorous? She, along with the others, decide to summon Mr. Brungles with a spell. The ingredients for the spell go into the cauldron, and eventually the witches get... well, a result. It's not exactly the one they--or Mr. Brungles--were hoping for, though.

Setting aside the glaring lack of consent (poor Mr. Brungles is summoned for the pleasure of some old witch, mangled in the process, and then expected to be the love interest of the whole coven--ick!), the story is a little thin and it's glaringly obvious that the plot is just a way to incorporate as many collective nouns as possible. The collective nouns I like. Unfortunately, they're not done consistently; the text for those is set off in coloured caps, but on the very first page, another word is also formatted this way (later, some of the articles aren't formatted like all the others). When a book is trying to teach a concept involving words like this, it needs to be spotless in its execution.

The illustrations are probably the best part. They're creepy and crawly and deliciously dark. These witches would fit in perfectly at Halloween. Unfortunately, the story that's illustrated here is kind of weak.

I'm not sure if I'd really recommend this one or not. It's fun to see all the collective nouns... but the writing and formatting need a bit of cleaning up before I'd hand this to a young reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Karadi Tales Picturebooks for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.29 out of 5

Review - McElligot's Pool

McElligot's Pool
by Dr. Seuss
Date: 1947
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 64
Format: e-book
Source: library

Imagination runs wild in this Caldecott Honor–winning tale featuring Dr. Seuss’s inimitable voice and hysterical illustrations. The first Seuss title to feature full-color art on every other page, this adventurous picture book tells of Marco—who first imagined an extraordinary parade in And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street — as he daydreams of all the possibilities that await him while he fishes in McElligot’s Pool. Optimistic and exciting, this tale is the perfect bait, and readers young and old will be hooked on this fish-tastic favorite.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's fun reading some of these oldies. McElligot's Pool is even older than my parents! It's one of the first Dr. Seuss books I've seen that uses full-colour illustrations along with black-and-white ones.

This book is first and foremost a celebration of imagination. When Marco is told that he won't catch any fish in McElligot's Pool, he spins a wild tale about how the pool might be connected to a river or even the ocean, and from there he muses about all the various fish he might catch: everything from fish with checkerboard bellies to two-headed eels.

While it was interesting to see what Marco would come up with next, I found the book just a little too long for my taste. It's also slightly dated with the stereotypical depiction of Inuit, going so far as to use the term "Eskimo". But it was 1947, and it's unfair to judge books from the past against our current standards. (Look at it as a mini history lesson instead.)

This isn't my favourite Dr. Seuss title. It's okay, but the length is a little tiresome. (Picture books from this era seem to be about twice the length of our current standard of around 32 pages. Parents: you've been warned.)

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.29 out of 5

Review - Fly Guy's Ninja Christmas

Fly Guy's Ninja Christmas (Fly Guy #16)
by Tedd Arnold
Date: 2016
Publisher: Cartwheel Books
Reading level: C
Book type: illustrated chapter book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

In the new book in Tedd Arnold's New York Times bestselling Fly Guy series, it's Christmazzz Eve and Fly Guy doesn't have a present to give his best friend, Buzz. But when he goes out to look for one, Fly Guy meets a stranger in the house whom he has to fight off with his ninja action. Will Fly Guy defeat the stranger? Will he find a present for Buzz?

Even reluctant readers will enjoy this fun, zany holiday story about Fly Guy meeting Santa Claus, knocking over the Christmas tree, and showing off his ninja moves!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I think I'm a little too old for these. I might've liked them when I was in kindergarten, but they're obviously early readers, and as such, they kind of suffer from being... well, light. On everything: plot, characterization, illustrations.

In this short chapter book, Fly Guy realizes he doesn't have a present for Buzz. As he's searching for one, he encounters Santa, and the big guy helps the fly solve his problem.

It's okay for what it is, and I'm sure young children will feel a great sense of accomplishment for reading a "chapter book". But for older readers, there's not much here. I've read lots of picture books that are more advanced.

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 4/5
Writing & Editing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5

Review - The Best Sound in the World

The Best Sound in the World
by Cindy Wume
Date: 2020
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Roy is a lion and a sound catcher. He catches the sounds of the city and makes them into music, trying to avoid the annoying attentions of his neighbor, Jemmy. Feeling like his music isn’t good enough, Roy goes on a journey to find the best sound in the world for inspiration. He hears the pitter-patter of the rain in the forest, the wind whistling through the desert, and the hustle and bustle of the souk at sunrise, but none of it helps—he can’t decide which is the best sound. Just as he’s about to give up, he hears a familiar voice . . . can Jemmy teach him that perhaps there are lots of beautiful sounds, not just one, and that for Jemmy, Roy’s music is the best of all? This gorgeous debut picture book is a heart-warming tribute to the power of friendship.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I... don't get it. It's almost like this book doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a story about friendship? Or is it a story about trying to find the most beautiful sound in the world? The two ideas are kind of forced together, and the resulting story is kind of disjointed and chaotic.

The illustrations aren't really my thing, either. Yes, they're rough... but they're also really awkward in places (like when we see Roy in closeup playing his violin; he's holding the neck of it with his hand turned backwards at an angle that would make the instrument impossible to play).

This was a miss for me. Kids might like trying to pick out Jemmy as he follows Roy on his quest for the most beautiful sound, but other than that, the book is trying too hard to be multiple things... and failing to be anything in particular, really.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 1/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2 out of 5