As a kid, did you ever have one of those books where you could flip over sections of pages and mix-and-match different animal's body parts? So you couAs a kid, did you ever have one of those books where you could flip over sections of pages and mix-and-match different animal's body parts? So you could make an animal that's half dog, half crocodile?
This is one of those, except instead of real animals, it's mythical creatures from all over the world. And instead of just six or seven creatures, there have to be 50-60 in here. And the art is Beautiful.
There's descriptions of the fantastic creatures, too. And they're drawn from *way* more cultures than I'd expected. They have Norse and Greek, of course. But also Aztec, Chinese, Inuit, and others. I hadn't even heard of 6-7 of them, which means they were making some serious mythological pulls.
Great book for kids that dig on Mythology. My boys played with it for 30-40 minutes, and were only pulled away because we were going to watch some TV together.
Definitely worth the expense and the shelf space if you have kids. And if you don't, something like this would make an *amazing* Christmas gift.
More good feels in #4, and at this point I'm solidly glad that I trusted Winick when I picked this series up for my boys.
There's a lot about friendshMore good feels in #4, and at this point I'm solidly glad that I trusted Winick when I picked this series up for my boys.
There's a lot about friendship in here. What it means to be a friend. A lot of discussion about how it's okay to be afraid, and about how *everyone* is scared sometimes, no matter how powerful they are.
The story talks about how important it is to be brave, too. And, miraculously, it happens in a good way, not in that bullshitty machismo a-real-man-doesn't-fear-pain sort of way. Bravery is doing things that you need to, even if you don't want to, even if you're afraid.
And there's legitimately funny parts. And good action. And mysteries to solve. And a discussion of how important it is to help other people. And, most importantly, how there are so many different way to help. (Not just by flying around and shooting lasers out of your hands.)
Everything said, I'm loving this series, and I'm delighted that my boys like it, too. I've already reached out to the local comic store to order #5 in the series that comes out in a couple months.
This one finally kicked me hard in the feels. I knew Winick had it in him, and I'm glad he brought some of that into this comic, even though it's "JusThis one finally kicked me hard in the feels. I knew Winick had it in him, and I'm glad he brought some of that into this comic, even though it's "Just for kids."
As an added bonus, my little boys got to see their dad get all teary when reading to them at bedtime. Again. ...more
I asked my older boy (Codname Oot - age 9) what he'd say about this book if he was going to explain it to other people.
He thought about it for a minutI asked my older boy (Codname Oot - age 9) what he'd say about this book if he was going to explain it to other people.
He thought about it for a minute. "That's hard," he said.
"What would you tell one of your friends?" I asked. "If you wanted to explain it to them."
He said, "There's a boy who is an android, and he's from another dimension, and he can fly and shoot lasers from his hands and he fights monsters with his friends."
(This is to the best of my recollection, by the way. There's some slight paraphrasing, as it happened about five minutes ago, and I didn't write it down immediately.)
"And he has super strength!" interjected my younger son (Codename Cutie - Age 4) "And he can create an Electromagnetic Pulse!"
(No paraphrasing there. I remember that really clearly, as I was super impressed by him remembering the term "Electromagnetic Pulse.")
So there you have it folks. Straight from the horse's mouth. If that doesn't sell you on this series, I don't know what will......more
Despite the fact that I'm a big fan of Winick, I didn't know about this series at all until I stumbled onto it at NYCC.
I bought it and brought it homeDespite the fact that I'm a big fan of Winick, I didn't know about this series at all until I stumbled onto it at NYCC.
I bought it and brought it home to my boys. But I read it first, partly to make sure it was something I wanted to pass along to them, but also because I wanted to read it.
It's fun, and both my boys love it. Part of me was hoping there would be echoes of Barry Ween in it, given the similarities in character design. But that's where the similarity stops.
And that's good news and bad news. Bad for me, as I loved Barry Ween as much as I've ever loved any comic ever. But good for my boys, as it means this is a for-real kids comic and I could enthusiastically hand it over to them without worrying about burning our their innocent young minds.
In conclusion: Fun comic. Great for kids. As an adult it held my attention, too....
A great follow-up to the first book in the series. I've been waiting a good long while for this one to come out.
And so has my little boy. In fact, *heA great follow-up to the first book in the series. I've been waiting a good long while for this one to come out.
And so has my little boy. In fact, *he's* the one who actually tracked this sequel down. I didn't know it was out yet until he brought it back from the library.
If that isn't a solid recommendation for a book, I don't know what is...
Do make sure to read #1 in the series first though. I mean, that should be a given, right?
Ben Hatke has written some of my older son's favorite comics.
While that's high praise of sorts, it doesn't really do his work justice. I also really eBen Hatke has written some of my older son's favorite comics.
While that's high praise of sorts, it doesn't really do his work justice. I also really enjoy the comics Ben writes. They're good stuff. And maybe most important of all, I'm delighted for my boy to read them, given that they're... well... for lack of a better word, healthy.
By this I mean that they're full of good things. People loving each other. Children being honest to their parents. Bravery. Kindness. Thoughtfulness.
And that's all on top of the fact that they're *really* good stories. Full of mystery, magic, adventure, good characters, drama, good worldbuilding, etc.
But yeah. Highly recommended, and doubly recommended if you have a kid. ...more
I'd like to think that I know a little bit about kid's books at this point. I've read about a thousand of them, I figure. And many of them, I've read I'd like to think that I know a little bit about kid's books at this point. I've read about a thousand of them, I figure. And many of them, I've read many times.
This is a great one for little kids. It's fun. Simple. And shows a little mouse getting dressed. It's not hugely complex, but then again, it doesn't need to be. There's a lot to be said for simplicity.
Truth is, I think this book might be a little too *young* for my youngest boy, who is not quite three years old.
But don't get me wrong here. That's actually really impressive. That means it's a great book for 1 and 2 year olds. Talking about feet and socks. Words they know. Actions they can understand. That's really great for younger kids.
I'm going to read it to my littest boy tonight. Wish me luck....more
Not just a delightfully good graphic novel that will be a delight for kids, but this one has a *very* minimaAnother very impressive book by Ben Hatke.
Not just a delightfully good graphic novel that will be a delight for kids, but this one has a *very* minimal verbal content, which is exceptionally hard to pull off.
That said, the lack of a strong textual component means that this book is readable by even younger kids. So long as they've been exposed to some comics, I'd say most kids of 4-5 should be able to read this by themselves. And I wouldn't be surprised if a few precocious 3 year olds would enjoy it as well.......more
Gave this to my little boy, and he really liked it.
I'm fond of it too, (or I wouldn't have passed it along). Nice, light tone. Not full of senseless vGave this to my little boy, and he really liked it.
I'm fond of it too, (or I wouldn't have passed it along). Nice, light tone. Not full of senseless violence. Good female character. Fun fantastic elements.
My boy is 6 and some change. He reads at a pretty high level, but he tore through this, so I'm guessing it would be good for any kid of average reading level who is 5-6.
Maybe 18 months ago, I came out of my office to find my 5 year old son laying in the hallway reading a book.
He wasn't just flipping through a picture Maybe 18 months ago, I came out of my office to find my 5 year old son laying in the hallway reading a book.
He wasn't just flipping through a picture book, either. He was actually reading it. A book with all words and no pictures.
This was that book. He'd read it with his mom a over a month's worth of bedtimes. Then, of his own volition while walking through the hallway, he'd pulled it off the shelf, sat down, and started to read it again.
That's a recommendation beyond anything I can give it.
* * *
About a week ago, I went on a car trip with Oot, and we listened to this book together. I see why he liked it. It's very tightly written. Good setting. Good mystery. Two POV characters, one boy and one girl. They each have their own plots, and their own character arcs. Their own problems they struggle to resolve. The boy gets angry sometimes, and his father talks to him about it, and the boy tries throughout the book to get a grip on his anger with varying success.
What's more, they both make mistakes. And they're *obviously* mistakes. If only the boy would have told his father about X, things would have gone better. It's kinda the opposite of Harry Potter. It's nice to have that in a kid's book.
Anyway. Yeah. Good book. Good Audio. Two thumbs up. One from me, and one from Oot. ...more
We've had this book for a while, and I was surprised to find that I hadn't already written about it on here already
Simply said: my kids adore it, and We've had this book for a while, and I was surprised to find that I hadn't already written about it on here already
Simply said: my kids adore it, and so do I.
It's a fun story about a young girl who opens her house up to mythical creatures, has some problems with her thoughtless guests, then resolves them. Nice pacing. Lovely illustrations.
The mythology isn't half-assed generic stuff either. Partially based in folklore, partially original. Ben brought in the Folletti, which I had to look up. If I knew of them at one point, I'd forgotten about them.
What puts this over the top as a kids book are some of the invisible extras. Not morals, because morals are too frequently preachy and heavy handed. I'm just talking about good, socially nutritive stuff that it's nice to have in *any* book. But that's triply nice to have in a kid's book.
For example, Julia is a great character who happens to be a girl. As opposed to being a Tough Girl Character Doing It For Herself Despite The Fact That She's A Girl And Girls Are Usually Seen As Helpless In Our Culture (TM) She's hospitable and hard-working. She takes care of her own problems.
It's nice to see Julia get frustrated, then talk with people and make changes that will fix her frustrations. It's nice to see people behaving thoughtlessly (which makes them rude), then changing their behavior to be helpful (Which makes them kind.) And it's nice to have a kid's book where everyone has chores, because that's something kids should be exposed to in books.
I love this approach in books. It's not preachy or pushy, but it has good things in it. It's not like someone forcing medicine down your throat for your own good. It's the equivalent of a healthy, delicious meal.
It's a good book, and he enjoyed it, but didn't ring the bell in the same way Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe diI read this aloud to my older boy, age 6.
It's a good book, and he enjoyed it, but didn't ring the bell in the same way Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe did. I think the biggest reason for this, was that it wasn't as accessible to him.
The first issue was the non-linear story. Which has the potential to confuse. Later, Lewis splits the party in a way that divides the action in the story.
But the biggest issue is that the characters lapse into archaic, courtly English when the a bunch of the people are talking at the end of the book. (Because the siblings used to be kings and queens, and they're talking with the nobility of the Telemarines.)
It's not just unfamiliar language to children. It's unfamiliar and archaic language. (Doubly archaic now, as Lewis wrote these 50 years ago.) My boy couldn't follow it at all, as there were 2-4 unfamiliar terms used in every sentence, and context can only stretch so far.) Because of that, Oot couldn't understand whole sections of the climax of the book, when the Telmarines were talking among themselves, and planning on betraying their king. (A vital plot point he couldn't get because it was only made explicit in this dialogue.)
As a result, I had to skim, skip, or summarize big chunks of the book so he could get it. Maybe in a year or two, he would have been fine. (Also, keep in mind that my boy is extremely vocabulary. We've been reading to him since he was six months old. Results with your own child may vary.)
Sexism a little more present here, but not oppressive or malicious. Still, you can't deny that the boys go off to duel and do battle stuff, while the girls hang out with Aslan and go wake the trees.
This book had better characters that the first book of the series. Nikabrik is a great example of a good guy gone bad. Trumpkin and Trufflehunter are great as well.
But Reepicheep is the real star here. Perhaps the best character in all of Narnia, excepting Aslan himself.
Lastly, and mostly as a side note, Lewis really knocked it out of the park in terms of names. Nikabrik is a great name for a venomous black dwarf. Glenstorm the proud centaur. Wimbleweather the dim but kind giant.
And Reepicheep, of course. I don't know if a name has ever fit a character better than "Reepicheep" does.......more
A kid classic. Perfect for little kids (Six months - three years old).
There's just a few words on each page. Nice clear pictures. Clear action. (Also,A kid classic. Perfect for little kids (Six months - three years old).
There's just a few words on each page. Nice clear pictures. Clear action. (Also, it helps kids get a grip on prepositions, which are actually a really tricky part of the English language, and not intuitive at all.)
Little Cutie really likes this one. He'll point at the pictures and name things, talking about what's going on....more
This is the first book where I chronicled my thoughts as I read through it with my son. I don't know how easy it is for y'all to access the record of This is the first book where I chronicled my thoughts as I read through it with my son. I don't know how easy it is for y'all to access the record of those here on Goodreads, but if you're looking for a detailed account of my thoughts on the book, you can look there.
I'll say this. I've read a lot of books to my little boy these last couple years, and I can honestly say that This book is among the best. Good, tight writing, good description. Good action. Also there's not a lot of dead space or trashy empty dialogue that just seems to be there to take up space. (That's become a particular peeve lately. And when you're reading a book aloud, it becomes really obvious.)
The British slang will be a stumbling block to some. But it's not too bad. And there were a few slight pieces of sexism that I ignored, skipped over, or re-worded on the fly. But honestly, this book was written 60 years ago, and you need to cut it a little slack because of that. And in my opinion, it only needs a little slack. Truth be told, I've read books written this year that have ten times the sexism this one does.
Also, I'd like to make it clear that this is the FIRST book of the Narnia Chronicles. This is where you start the series. I'm sorry if you read them in the wrong order, but if you did, it's better than you admit it now, come to grips, and move on with your life knowing the truth....more
It might seem odd to review a book that has 10 pages and less than 20 words in it. But when you're dealing with books for very little kids, that's theIt might seem odd to review a book that has 10 pages and less than 20 words in it. But when you're dealing with books for very little kids, that's the landscape you're dealing with.
Barely 15 minutes ago, my littlest boy brought this book up to me and said, "Read daddy! Read!"
That's the baby version of a 5-star review.
What really makes this book good, is that it's one of the very first books you can read to your kid. It will catch and hold their attention *long* before they can follow anything with plot or words. This just has dogs making different barking noises.
Both my boys loved this book, and Cutie went through a period where there was nothing in the world funnier than one of the dogs going "Yip yip yip."
He would laugh and laugh whenever I said that. Huge helpless baby chortles. Why? Who knows. And who cares, really? We were having a great time reading a book together. And that's what really matters....more
Both my little boys have loved this book. And it's one of the most often requested books in our house by my youngest boy right now.
It has many of the Both my little boys have loved this book. And it's one of the most often requested books in our house by my youngest boy right now.
It has many of the classic nursery rhymes in it, and the illustrations are fun and friendly, with plenty of things to point at and talk about to younger kids. "Can you see an Egg?" "Which one is the pink pig?"
I never had this as a kid, and I wouldn't have known about it if it hadn't been given to me as a gift. But now I consider it to be an essential part of any kid library.
Very re-readable. Great for anywhere from six months to six years. (My older boy constantly comes over to listen and watch when I'm reading to his younger brother.)...more
One of the classics. And there's a good reason this book has been around for 70 years.
Upsides: A sweet story. Wonderful marriage of illustration and tOne of the classics. And there's a good reason this book has been around for 70 years.
Upsides: A sweet story. Wonderful marriage of illustration and text working in concert. A guest cameo from Mike Mulligan and his Steam shovel if you're paying close enough attention.
Downsides: Your kids might wonder why the hell you are crying your eyes out when the main character of the story is a house.
A fan gave this to me as a gift at Nerdcon this past weekend. I didn't know it existed until then.
Apparently it's based off a Jonathan Coulton song. BA fan gave this to me as a gift at Nerdcon this past weekend. I didn't know it existed until then.
Apparently it's based off a Jonathan Coulton song. But despite the fact that I'm a Coulton fan, I'd never heard it. Still, I wasn't terribly surprised. I tend to live under a heavy rock most of the time.
Despite not knowing the song it was based on, I loved the book. I read it in a restaurant the day after the convention and got all teary. I tried to cover this up by pretending that I was really emotionally involved in my cobb salad, but I don't think it worked.
It's a really great book, and when I got done I read it to my two little boys. (And got teary again) They loved it and wanted to hear it a second time.
So I read it to them again.
* * *
Update: Tonight (one day after our initial reading) I found my older boy (6) reading this book to himself. Then my littlest boy (2) carried it over to me and said, "read daddy read daddy read."
I'd read it long ago, and enjoyed it well enough. But today was an entirely different experience, becI just read this book with my oldest boy, age 5.
I'd read it long ago, and enjoyed it well enough. But today was an entirely different experience, because today we read this book together.
I actually found him sitting in the stairwell flipping through the book on his own. He does this sometimes, when Sarah and I are busy. I love that he loves books. And I love that he looks through them even when he can't make out all the words by himself.
So what makes this a good kid's book?
1. It's a long book.
I read a lot of kid's books these days. And I find it kinda disheartening when I pick up one that's only 16 pages long.
Don't get me wrong. That might be perfect for holding the attention span of a 1 year old, but if you want your kids to be able to concentrate for longer than the span of a superbowl commercial, you might want to consider reading them longer books.
What's more, it's simply not very much bang for your buck.
Also, what would you rather do? Read a 16 page book to a kid 10 times. Or read a 50 page book twice. (Hint, you want the second option.)
2. There is a lot of good word and letter repetition. For kids that are learning to read, this is key. Once they learn to read the word "They" they'll get plenty of chance to practice it.
There's a bunch of similar words with the silent "e." (Make. Came. Take.) And words with the "ea" letter combination. (Fear. Near.) And some tricky but very common words that are almost impossible to sound out. (Would Should Could.)
3. Most importantly. The book is fun. It's got animals and misunderstandings. Surprises. Good illustrations. The action is easy to follow.
So yeah. There's a lot of good reasons that this one's a classic. It's well worth your time and money if you're in the market for a kid's book.