Macaroni the Great and the Sea Beast by Whitney Childers

Childers’ charming Macaroni the Great and the Sea Beast is told from the point of view of Macaroni, a big ginger kitty who goes out each day with his human Sammy to fish in the ocean. Of course, Macaroni is the one in charge! He just lets his human help. One day, instead of hauling up fish, a terrifying sea beast is brought up. Thank goodness Macaroni is there to save the day, and banish the beastie back to the depths! He gets a yummy fish as a reward, and the day ends with the pair relaxing on the porch.

Oh, this story was too cute, and the artwork just gorgeous! My cubs and I all loved reading about Macaroni’s adventures. The author definitely caught the personality of cats perfectly. This would be a great addition to any young child’s library, perfect for bedtime reading.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Xist Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Oothar the Blue by Brandon Reese

Oothar the Blue by Brandon Reese is a colourful tale of Oothar the Barbarian who realise one day that pillaging and monster slaying no longer excite him. Try as he may, nothing helps. Oothar has a bit of a fit, bashing and banging around. Little does he know, he’s just accidentally helped a very thankful minotaur. Oothar realises that helping people is more pleasing, and he starts his own business that turns out quite successful.

This was a cute little read, with lovely artwork. My cubs and I all enjoyed it. This would be a great addition to any youngling’s library, perfect for bedtime stories, or for reading on one’s own.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Books/ Lion Forge for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Scientist, Scientist, Who Do You See? by Chris Ferrie

Scientist, Scientist, Who Do You See? by Chris Ferrie is an adorable rhyming poem teaching children about a variety of scientists and their most notable achievement, from Curie and Einstein to Turing and Darwin, and many others besides. Many are scientists of ages past, though some are from our current time. There were one or two people I had never heard of. I had to go look them up! There were a few I would have loved to have seen such as Watson/Crick and Neil deGrasse Tyson. My cublings quite enjoyed the book as well, and I got many curious questions, so that worked! Perfect addition to any school library or class curriculum for young learners.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks/ Jabberwocky for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

Just Elliot by Sue Baer

Just Elliot by Sue Baer is the tale of Elliot, a young boy on the autism spectrum. It is told from Elliot’s point of view, so that we get to see what goes on in his head. We learn the things that trigger him, and how he copes under the stigma of being different. Of needing things just so. Elliot starts a new class, and several of his classmates find him odd. A few bully him. That first day, Elliot doesn’t eat lunch because the food is the wrong colour. Recess is also a trial for him. Adjustments are made, and Elliot can spend recess inside. His mum starts packing his lunch. Elliot does make a friend though, Sam, who comes over to play, and who takes the time to understand him. During recess, Elliot builds with Legos, locking his project away each day. When he finally reveals his finished project, Elliot becomes the star of the class.

The artwork for this story was beautiful, and for the most part, my cubs I found it enjoyable. Really, what lowered the rating for me was that even some of them were perceptive enough to ask ‘if his mum knows how Elliot is, why didn’t she pack his lunch to begin with?’ and ‘she (Elliot’s mum) should have told the teacher the rules the first day so he didn’t have a bad first day’. I gotta agree. Still, overall it is a decent book for helping younger kids understand people on the autism spectrum.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Akita Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.