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!

The Many Nibbles of Mister Gibbles by Laura Yirak

Title: The Many Nibbles of Mister Gibbles
Author: Laura Yirak
Publisher: Amazon
Rating: WORTHY!

Illustrated by Daren Challman.

Laura Yirak has the kind of last name that always makes me think it's written backwards. I think it's because it begins with a Y (and yes, I do get really confused by people named Yancy). Kariy does sound exactly like a name, but it's never actually spelled that way as far as I know!

But I digress! I thought this one might be fun to read because one of my sons had pet guinea pigs, and the title of this novel was amusingly playful. Daren Challman's artwork was really interesting, too. Some of it was drawn, but the drawings were then combined with photographs, and the effect was really quite diverting. I found the grass representing the bottom of the cage quite distracting because it kept drawing my eyes away from everything else. The overall technique definitely worked, though. It's worth keeping in mind that there are many ways to create compelling images for children's books.

My son's guinea pigs showed interest in quite a variety of foods, and would call out as soon as they heard the refrigerator door open, expecting to get rewarded with a stack of lettuce leaves. They would also eat olives, apples, potatoes, yams, dandelions from the yard, and a host of other things, including things they may never have encountered in the wild (had they been wild) as well as their regular packaged guinea pig food, which is essential to be sure they're getting all their nutritional needs.

The colors were gorgeous in this story and it was very poetic and playful, so I have no problem recommending it, although I would have liked it better if it had offered some advice about caring for these pets. There was this one fun thing which unintentionally came free with the ebook. Two successive pages at the beginning had text in the middle of a bright orange sunburst, and if I put my finger down to slide the screen, but instead of swiping once, moved it quickly back and forth, it produced an almost animated shimmer effect which was quite fun, and which no doubt will amuse your kids.

Please note that while guinea pigs - in my opinion - are not as fun as some other pets such as hamsters, mice, and especially rats (which are a riot), they are quiet and readily pet-able, very much like rabbits. They do get noisy when they think that there's food in the offing, and start what's called wheaking (I call it bubble and squeak, borrowing from an English term for a kind of meal). They will stand up on their back legs almost like Meerkats to reach for the food you bring them.

Guinea pigs, like all pets, are living things which have feelings and needs and which can feel discomfort, fear and pain. They're not toys and they do require attention, care, and ugh, cleaning, so if you're thinking of getting one (or preferably two) females for your kids, please make sure the child not only understands that work is required, but also what that work will entail. Fresh water every day, and frequent fresh greens as treats. Even little guinea pigs need big love!

But I digress again! So this book was cool, fun, and did teach something about caring for guinea pigs without seeming to do so - which is the best teaching technique of all, isn't it? I recommend this one.