Pandolfi,
J. and Pandolfi, A. (2014). The Adventures of Mophie and Picholas: Book 1 - A Very Strange Trip to the Park. Self-published
Children's / Illustrated / Fantasy
I gave this book 5 of 5 stars!
The
Adventures of Mophie and Picholas is wonderfully imaginative, like something a
parent would invent when a little one begged at bed time, "Tell me a
story. . ."
The story jumps right in, and as many stories for little ones do, it asks readers to just accept things as they are: though the town and the house and the family is normal, right down the way there are magical bullies, evil queens and dragons! When six-year-old Mophie and three-year-old Picholas want to go to the park, their parents agree and when the family arrives, they find magic has been afoot -- and this time it's bad magic made by a magical bully. None of this surprises anyone in the family, but when the kids call on a magical friend, Sylvester, to save the day, the father nearly faints from surprise, as he'd been left out of the loop about this particular magical being. Will Sylvester defeat the bully and make the park a safe place to play?
The Adventures of Mophie and Picholas is super short and lots of fun. I'd really prefer to see maybe three adventures in one book, but in the current form, little ones will easily be able to review the book on their own after it's read to them. The book will likely charm and inspire young readers because first, a father son team wrote the book, and second, a highschooler illustrated it. How cool is that?
What I am not sure about is how children will react to Picholas's speech. Younger, independent readers could struggle with pronouncing the words that are spelled phonetically, and as a three-year-old would say them if he/she didn't quite yet have control of language. For lack of a better term, Picholas speaks in baby talk. For older kids who may struggle with speech impediments, the speech could be upsetting -- or comforting. As an adult reading it, and remembering the little voices of my own children (my one son would say, "my haiw (hair) is weally weally bwonde"). Picholas's speech was precious.
One other note of caution: parents may not appreciate the inclusion of the term "poopy-head" since that's a naughty word in many households. But kids will love it being there -- nothing better than a little naughtiness to get a child giggling -- and it is perfect for Picholas.
I recommend this book for ages 4 - 8, but the bottom line is that adults need to know their comfort zones and their readers. This reader found the book well-written and delightful, and I have no qualms about sharing it with my young nieces and nephews and look forward to Book 2!
Thank you to the author, who provided me a free eBook copy in exchange for an honest review -- the only kind I give.
The story jumps right in, and as many stories for little ones do, it asks readers to just accept things as they are: though the town and the house and the family is normal, right down the way there are magical bullies, evil queens and dragons! When six-year-old Mophie and three-year-old Picholas want to go to the park, their parents agree and when the family arrives, they find magic has been afoot -- and this time it's bad magic made by a magical bully. None of this surprises anyone in the family, but when the kids call on a magical friend, Sylvester, to save the day, the father nearly faints from surprise, as he'd been left out of the loop about this particular magical being. Will Sylvester defeat the bully and make the park a safe place to play?
The Adventures of Mophie and Picholas is super short and lots of fun. I'd really prefer to see maybe three adventures in one book, but in the current form, little ones will easily be able to review the book on their own after it's read to them. The book will likely charm and inspire young readers because first, a father son team wrote the book, and second, a highschooler illustrated it. How cool is that?
What I am not sure about is how children will react to Picholas's speech. Younger, independent readers could struggle with pronouncing the words that are spelled phonetically, and as a three-year-old would say them if he/she didn't quite yet have control of language. For lack of a better term, Picholas speaks in baby talk. For older kids who may struggle with speech impediments, the speech could be upsetting -- or comforting. As an adult reading it, and remembering the little voices of my own children (my one son would say, "my haiw (hair) is weally weally bwonde"). Picholas's speech was precious.
One other note of caution: parents may not appreciate the inclusion of the term "poopy-head" since that's a naughty word in many households. But kids will love it being there -- nothing better than a little naughtiness to get a child giggling -- and it is perfect for Picholas.
I recommend this book for ages 4 - 8, but the bottom line is that adults need to know their comfort zones and their readers. This reader found the book well-written and delightful, and I have no qualms about sharing it with my young nieces and nephews and look forward to Book 2!
Thank you to the author, who provided me a free eBook copy in exchange for an honest review -- the only kind I give.
Learn
more about this book and the father-son author team at their WEBSITE, Like them on FACEBOOK,
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