Fishin' a Bowl by Laura Yirak

Rating: WORTHY!

This features the same girl as in the My Silly Kitty which I negatively reviewed for the unimaginative imagery. The images in this one are at least full screen on the iPad, but the odd thing is, whereas the images in the other book were too small and not amenable to enlargement, the ones int his book are full screen - and you can enlarge them further! Go figure! In this story, the strangely mature-looking little girl is almost completely absent, and when the brat's away the fish will play - unless the kitten gets 'em. In this case the cat and the goldfish make peace. I recommend this one for the generous art work, the amusing rhyme, the punning title, and the friendship motif.

My Silly Kitty by Laura Yirak

Rating: WARTY!

The girl in these stories is four years old, but looks way older. Today is her birthday and she gets a kitten. Told in poetry, it's the story of the kid chasing the kitten all over. It's harmless, but I don't recommend getting this in ebook form. The images on the iPad were no bigger than they were on my phone and they would not enlarge. I see no reason for this stinginess of imagery at all. I can't recommend this in this form and I can't speak for the print version.

Puppy Come Home by Laura Yirak

Title: Puppy Come Home
Author: Laura Yirak
Publisher: Amazon
Rating: WORTHY!

Illustrated by Daren Challman.

I am not a fan of pugs - or any little dogs, let it be said, not even poetic ones. Let it be also said that the one featured here has much cuter facial expressions than the real thing, thanks to Daren Challman's art work. And, on reflection, I did find the pug in Men in Black to be highly entertaining, as indeed I did the cover of this book with the unfortunate juxtaposition of dog and the duck. Or is it ducks-ta-position? I usually duck taking a position on the matter.

But that, as they say, is neither here nor there. The real issue is, what's wrong with this dog? It's out playing in the park on a bright sunny day, chasing a toy the boy has thrown, and then suddenly it's among the bees - only the coolest bees, understand - they can be recognized by the fact that they're wearing purple shades. What was that old Prince song, now? Oh yes, Purple shades, purple shades, I only want to see you wearing gorgeous purple shades. I remember it well. But the puppy has to move out of the undergrowth away from those bees; he doesn't want hives after all, only this bone he's chasing.

The poor boy is out and about looking for this lost puppy which is desperately trying to wag that tiny tail. Will he find this tiny dog? Only attentive reading can reveal the truth. And if he dies find that dog, what's with the roaring fire and that duck again? Are they going to roast it for clues? This mystery can only be solved by readers of this book. It's short, it's sweet, it'll make you want to tweet.

The story is short and entertaining for young children, who no doubt will adore the puppy and demand you buy them one immediately, so they, too, can lose it in the park. How to find little lost puppies? I'm afraid I can't help you there. It's something you'll have to bone-up on in your own time, before you end up barking up the wrong tree, Dog!