We All Need A Friend: Petey Possum's Story

Gabany, S. and Berry, A. (2015). We All Need A Friend: Petey Possum's Story. Paducah, KY: No Name Press.

Children's Picture Book / Rhyming / Problem Solving

I gave this book 5 out of 5 Stars

In this We All Need A Friend story, readers meet Petey Possum, whose father is a woodchuck, mother is a muskrat, and who has badger and ferret siblings. Petey and his siblings are adopted and the story shows that his family is just like any other loving family. And Petey is just like any other kid, sleeping-in, oblivious to the sounds outside and the calls of his mom. Petey's home life is really just a sideline to the main story, which is that Margie Mouse's dad has gone missing. Margie turns to her good friend Petey, and as good friends do, Petey rallies all the farm animals to help find Margie's dad.

Through nicely balanced rhyming, author Steve Gabany manages to tell an interesting, multi-part story that also teaches several good lessons. By bringing in a variety of animals, in all different shapes and sizes, the best lesson is that all creatures can work together, for a common good, if they're just willing. This point can parlay nicely into discussions about the human world and how people from all walks of life can also work together, if they're just willing.  

Gabany has again partnered with the incredibly talented Arlene Berry, who provides the multimedia illustrations that are a real treat for the eyes. There is no white space to be found, and the wide variety of colors, textures, and images are sure to keep kids studying the pages. I especially enjoyed the use of post cards and letters with cursive writing, which may pique younger readers' curiosity since cursive writing is practically a thing of the past. 

I recommend this book, like the others from Gabany & Berry, for young ones up to first or second grade and further recommend purchasing the print version for the best experience - the pages are best viewed in full spread, so two gorgeous pages are viewed seamlessly, side-by-side.  

 
Thank you to the author for providing me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.

To learn more, follow author Steve Gabany on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads!

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The Toothless Tooth Fairy

Hicks, S. and Budeanu, A. (2014). The Toothless Tooth Fairy. Milwaukee: Mirror Publishing. 

Children's Picture Book / Fiction / Fantasy

I gave this book 5 of 5 stars.

When kind fairy Bella loses a tooth due to mean fairy Zelda playing a trick, Bella is devastated and thinks she's too ugly to be in the smile contest. Bella uses the fairy data base and goes on a quest to borrow a soon-to-be-lost tooth so that her smile will be beautiful -- but will she succeed? Will Zelda's meanness stand in the way?  

In The Toothless Tooth Fairy, author Shanelle Hicks and illustrator Anca Delia Budeanu have teamed up to make an adorable book that teaches important lessons and is a feast for the eyes.  The lessons are plentiful, including kindness is always the right answer, smiles are always beautiful, ugliness inside can produce ugliness outside, and pretty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors.  Budeanu's illustrations are expressive with soft, muted colors and show great diversity in the representations of the different fairies. Readers will easily identify with at least one of the fairies and will love the story, too.

I read this along with my eight-year-old niece, and she giggled a bunch (especially with the evil "Muah ha ah ha ha" laugh) and was surprised by Bella's treatment of Zelda. This fostered a discussion about the power of kindness. Interestingly enough, she found the parts that introduced ways to get a loose tooth out slightly creepy -- but informative!  There was a small bit of confusion with the title of the award at the end, but it didn't interfere with the enjoyment of the story.

I recommend this to children second grade and younger, to be read independently or as a read-along for the younger ones. Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. 

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Fuzzy Buzzy's Treasure

Baker, M. (2015). Fuzzy Buzzy's Treasure. Self-published.

Children's Picture Book / Informational / Lesson

I gave this book 4 of 5 stars

When Fuzzy Buzzy discovers a field of flowers, she decides to keep the location a secret from her sister bumblebees -- after all, finders keepers! Soon Fuzzy Buzzy realizes that she can't possibly pollinate all the flowers and that there's more nectar than she can ever drink, but it's not until she sees that the flowers are suffering that she realizes the right thing to do. 

Children will absolutely love this beautifully illustrated story!  Fuzzy Buzzy's Treasure not only informs readers about bumblebees and the pollination process, but it also manages to gently teach a lesson about the consequences of greed and the benefits of sharing.  The illustrations by K.A. King are precious and make viewing every page a pleasure. (I just want to hug those little baby bumblebees!)  Additionally, as a supplement at the end of the story, author Misty Baker has included some fast facts about bumblebees as well as links to websites to learn more about bumblebees and ways to help them. 

Given the target audience for the book, I did feel like some pages were text heavy, and there were some lengthy sentences that younger readers might struggle to read. As such, it may best be used as a read-along, which is ideal anyhow so that adults can discuss Fuzzy Buzzy's actions and also what is real and what is fantasy in the bumblebee world.  I would have liked to see a few more pages added and a little more editing so that the overall presentation was more balanced and simpler to read.

Fuzzy Buzzy's Treasure can be enjoyed by kids of all ages since the bees are presented in a non-threatening, friendly way.  Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give!

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT AUTHOR MISTY BAKER and her books on her WEBSITE, on TWITTER, or on FACEBOOK.

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Momma Don't You Worry

Lawent, L. (2015). Momma Don't You Worry. Canada: LadyBee Publishing.

Children's Book in Verse / Illustrated / Lesson

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 Stars

CURRENTLY ON SALE FOR $1.29 

FROM BARNES & NOBLE AND AMAZON

A six year old boy thinks he's too old to hold his mother's hand when crossing streets or out on shopping trips and thinks his mom worries too much. But when the boy decides to make a quick trip away from his mom, he soon realizes that maybe he isn't such a big boy after all. 

In Momma Don't You Worry, Louie Lawent rhymes his way through a great lesson for kids about safety and following their parents' rules when out in public places. The rhyming is fun -- and often funny -- though the rhythm is a bit inconsistent, so it doesn't always flow smoothly. The colored-pencil style illustrations by Rick Radliff were adorable, and they really added to the story, which is told over just five pages. 

I would very much like to see the author make another pass through the text to clean-up a few issues that if corrected, could really take this to five-star level. Aside from the rhythm, other issues are that the cover says "Momma" and the story says "Mama," and in several instances, "Mom" is not properly capitalized, and there are punctuation errors which also affect the pace and flow of the rhymes.

Normally, I wouldn't recommend something that still needs editing, but the story teaches an important lesson and kids will absolutely love it as a read-along-with-a-grown-up story. Parents can use it as a springboard for conversations with their children about why they have rules, and I can see it as a perfect book to re-read to kids before running errands.

Thank you to the author who provided me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.

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