A Ring Bear? by Christy Brown

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

It's always fun to take a youthful misunderstanding and run with it. When he hears he's going to be the ring-bearer at his aunt's wedding, what really hears is that he will be a ring bear. He struggles for some time with the delightful help of his kid sister, to figure out how to be the Bear of the Rings, but eventually he cottons on and all is well. This was a fun story, with sweet color illustrations by Juan Rodriquez (not that Juan, the other Juan), and I commend it as a worthy read.

I have to say this was unreadable in the Kindle format. Kindle, to me, means turning something into kindling and that's what happens with Amazon's crappy conversion process. Unless it's plain vanilla text, do not subject your work to Kindle. It will ruin it. I read the PDF version of this and it was perfectly fine.

Miranda Queen of Broken Toys by Andrea Tripke

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This was a fun picture book, beautifully illustrated by debut author and German-born artist, Andrea Tripke. It tells the fun and heartwarming story of a girl who dared to be different. Instead of being hypnotized by the shiny and new, Miranda finds joy in the downtrodden and broken - toys that are unwanted, are lost, or are missing bits. She creates a welcoming home for them, and becomes known as the Queen of Broken Toys. Her life seems to be set in its ways until a new person shows up looking for a lost toy.

I have to say this was unreadable in the Kindle format. Kindle, to me, means turning something into kindling and that's what happens with Amazon's crappy conversion process. Unless it's plain vanilla text, do not subject your work to Kindle. It will ruin it. I read the PDF version of this and it was perfectly fine.

I commend this as a fun, visual treat, and besides, where else can you find raspberry tea and tomato-and-cheese-sandwiches?

Wrapped in the Past by Chess Desalls

Rating: WARTY!

This was a weird story about a time traveler who takes his family on a trip back, purportedly, to the deserts of the Middle East where they meet the "three magi" following the star to Bethlehem. This is such a literal interpretation of the Biblical story and it's not even accurate, even if we pretend for a minute that the story was true. This legend appears only in the gospel of Matthew, which Matthew didn't write, and nowhere does it say there were three dudes.

There are three prized treasures mentioned, but that doesn't mean there were three magi each with one treasure. Nor is there any solid indication that they were literally following a bright star in the sky. It merely says that they saw his star in the east (not in the west, note!) and have come to bow before him. They could have been astrologers who looked at a chart saw some sort of a sign and headed out with no star visible in the sky whatsoever. The best guess is that (assuming there were real) they were Zoroastrian priests. Zoroastrianism, coming out of what's now Iran, has had a significant influence on the development of Christianity.

The thing about this story is: how did this family happen to light down in the very place where these dudes were traveling? The desert is not a small place and although there were trade routes, they were vague. There was no highway to follow. This family had no idea where they would be along the route, even assuming that they were following one. They didn't even know which year this took place nor at what time of year, so the improbabilities were rife. Add to that the morphing yacht turning into a camel and the convenient fact that the father has taken very little time to master the common languages of that place and period, it was too much. It would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than to consider this to be realistic fiction.

Most Marshmallows by Rowboat Watkins

Rating: WORTHY!

Someone with the unlikely name of Rowboat is stealing my shtick! "In a world of ordinary marshmallows, some dare to dream big!" The very nerve! No seriously, I wish Rowboat all the best. I was very unlikely to write about marshmallows (though it has crossed my mind!) and I'd actually have used pictures of marshmallows rather than line drawings had I done this, but what the heck! They're a definite target for a children's book and long overdue! I hope that getting a stamp of approval from the idiots at Kirkus doesn't cause problems for the book's sales: "Expressive line drawings pack beauty, tension, and drama into each page. This sweet flight of fancy will find a young audience eager to devour it" Yeah. Hilarious. But I consider this a worthy idea at least.

Elves on the Fifth Floor by Francesca Cavallo, Verena Wugeditsch

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

It's a little early for a Christmas story, but I liked everything about this short picture novel from the intriguing title to the entertaining and cute tale, to the playful text by Cavallo, and the charming illustrations by Wugeditsch. It was original, quirky in a good way, and amusing. The only problem with the ebook was that Amazon did its usual job of mangling of the format in the Kindle edition - turning it into the kindling it's well known for in my experience. This is one of many reasons why I will have nothing to do with Amazon. For example, the page numbers appeared in the midst of the story including on one amusing occasion where I read the following:

The young man had pulled out his cell phone and was dialing a number.
74
Who...

It made it look like the number he was dialing was 74! The Net Galley viewer presented it much better and was beautifully laid out, but it was in double page format that doesn't work on my phone, which is where I typically read my books. I don't know if this is going to be available in a Kindle edition, but if it is, I recommend strongly against buying that version. The lines were chopped unequally, so some parts of the text would cover the left half of the screen whereas other lines would go the full width of the screen. Drop caps do not work and were messed up. Pictures and text were poorly adjoined. The formatting was, as usual in Kindle when it's anything other than plain vanilla text, messed up to put it politely.

I couldn't read the Net Galley version on my iPad since Net Galley snottily refuses to make its app compatible with older devices, but I was able to try it on Blue Fire Reader and in Adobe Digital Editions, and it was perfectly fine in both of those. So there, Net Galley! Take that! LOL!

The story was wonderful. It was a family of two parents and three kids, who were moving to a new town because of the resentment about their family and marital choices in the place they used to live (which I'd hazard a guess was Texas, especially the way things are going down here lately). They have a small apartment on the fifth floor and make the most of it. One parent, Isabella heads out the next day to begin her new job as a mail carrier at the town's post office. The other, Dominique, stays home with the kids.

When the kids write a letter to Santa about changing plans for a Christmas present, they wonder if it will get there in time, so they're surprised to get a speedy reply in the form of a magical letter from Santa himself! It enquires if it might be possible for some elves work from their home on Christmas Eve, in order to make sure all the presents get distributed in time. Naturally they accept, and this is how elves come to be on the fifth floor, but in a place like this where adults are not known to be overly friendly, the arrival of new people, and the activities on the fifth floor become problematical!

However it all works out in the end. That's not a spoiler! You knew it would! I liked this for its off-kilter take on the world, and for its enthusiastic story-telling and I commend it fully as a worthy read.

Night Creatures by Rebecca E Hirsch, Sonia Possentini

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This has nothing whatsoever to do with the BeeGees song that spent eight weeks at number one in the later seventies, tied to the movie Saturday Night Fever, but reading this I kept finding that lyric in my head, suitably adjusted, of course:

Listen to the ground, there is movement all around
There is something going down, and you can feel it
There are creatures in the air, there are critters everywhere
And it's something you can share, if you believe it
Those denizens of night come with the waning of light
Taking over the world as we sleep
They're hunting and gathering, and spreading through the night
They are Night Creatures, Night Creatures!
They know how to live it!
Night Creatures, Night Creatures!

Of course that song was Night Fever, but now you know happens when I haven't had enough sleep! Gorgeously-illustrated by the elegantly-named Sonia Possentini, and written with panache by Rebecca Hirsch, this book takes a look at some of those living things that populate the evening, night, and early morning, such as bats, bobcats, fireflies, mice, owls, rabbits, raccoons, skunks and others. The book talks a little about each, their favored time to prowl, their diet, and so on. It's makes for an absorbing and educational introduction to a world not many young children are familiar with, and I commend it as a worthy read.

The Littlest Yak by Lu Fraser, Kate Hindley

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

Amusingly and colorfully illustrated by Kate Hindley, this little picture book, told in rhyme by Lu Fraser, is an amusing and entertaining journey through the eyes of Gertie, the littlest yak in the herd. She so wants to grow up and be big like her family, but she learns there are some things that only a little yak can do. The focus of this cute little book is only on growing up and not being in a huge hurry to do so, but it would have been nice to learn a little more about yaks! Technically speaking, Yak (from Tibetan 'yag') refers only to the male of the species, the female being a 'nag' so I can see how that wouldn't fly! They're closely related to your everyday cow you might see out when you're driving in the country, or on TV, but yaks have a dense fur that keeps them warm in some of the harsher climes where they're found. Other than that, I commend this book as a fun and worthy read.

Matias and the Cloud by Jorge Palomera

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

Argentine author Palomera has delivered a colorful, inventive, and charming wordless picture book here, about a young boy who has a fabulous birthday, and who gets down to the last of his presents and discovers that someone has sent him a cloud! Naturally he wants to play with this, and in much the same way as a kid who abandons the present and turns the box into a multipurpose toy, Matias does the same thing, but in this case actually with the present, turning the cloud into several fun toys, including a beard and bushy eyebrows, and a bed for his dog.

The cloud doesn't appear until about two-thirds the way through the story, but it's fun when it does, and Matias proves himself to be a clever kid. I can imagine an adult reading this with their own child and inventing other ways to enjoy a cloud, had we one available. I commend this as a fun and accessible story which will stimulate all imaginations.

It's OK to Need a Friend by Annelies Draws

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I don't know squat about this author except that she (or maybe he!) draws and illustrates a treat, and presents us with a cute chubby Little Brown Bear who happily goes through life being a friend, helping out, and passing on and learning lessons. As the description has it, friendship is both a gift and a skill and this book helps youngsters to discover how to offer the one while picking up the other. I commend this as a worthy read.

ABC for Me: ABC Let's Celebrate You & Me by Sugar Snap Studio

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This was a cute and positive book, nicely illustrated, which goes A to Z on, as the description says, "either a physical or character attribute, and each page promotes self-love and kindness to others." This is delightfully true, and the attitude of kindness and acceptance which permeates every page is a joy and a treat. I commend this as a worthy read.

Andy Warhol by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Timothy Hunt

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I've read many of Vegara's books. This author must be a little demon workhorse to turn out so many of these ebooks. I believe there are like five dozen of them now, and I sure haven't read that many, but I have read quite a few. There has been only one, if I recall correctly, that I have not liked. This one was no exception to the likeability rule.

Andy Warhola, as he was originally, was the child of Slovakian immigrants who was shy and had an artistic leaning from an early age. He finished college and moved quickly to New York where he was able to find work as an illustrator, before he branched out into celebrating the mundane and became a world-famous artist, inspired by the soup cans from which he made his lunch each day.

This book tells a short, sweet, and nicely illustrated (by Hunt) story of his life and work and I commend it.

Piperlicious Goes To Hawaii by Teresa Hunt, Aneeza Ashraf

Rating: WARTY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I'm not sure about the main character's name or the idea of herself and her younger sister going off unsupervised, but clearly this is a pure fantasy story not remotely tied to reality, which then begs the question as to how it can highlight Hawaii's attractions when it's so disconnected. There also seemed to be a lot of convenient things falling improbably place: Piperlicious winning a vacation to the very place she wanted to go, and her effortless finding of the treasure.

The story was upbeat and fun, and the illustrations by Ashraf were cute, brightly colored, and satisfying, and Piperlicious's dedication her quest was quite admirable, but given how spoiled she seems to be and how easy everything is for her, I really don't see how I can commend this a worthy read.

I'd like a little more realism, even in a fantasy story. I have to wonder how Piperlicious would cope if she ever had a day when things didn't automatically and predictably go precisely the way she wants them to. I can't commend this for that reason. It just felt wrong and too 'lucky' when others are having a hard time, especially right now. This was too 'Disney Princess' for my taste.

The Mole and the Hole by Brayden Kowalczuk

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This was a weird story about a mole who would love to get above ground, but who is hampered from doing so by abundant rocks. Pretty much everything in this story has a face and a motivation, including the rocks, who seem to be conspiring to keep the mole down there with his pet bug. I found it amusing that the mole has a pet.

I also found the story a bit confusing and wondered from time to time if there's a meta story going on here, but in the end it seems to be just a tale of the mole finding a place to live that doesn't have so many rocks. There are no rocks underground in this world, just on the surface, and despite the book description, there seems to be no attempt here to tell any morality tale, so it seems we're supposed to figure that out for ourselves, I guess, or just enjoy the story. It was, as I said, a bit of a mess, but it was nicely illustrated by the author and amusingly told, so I commend this as a worthy read for children.

Olive and Ginger by Xenia Mesot, Vladislav Khristenko, Mariia Khristenko

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

Illustrated by the Khristenkos, and written by Xenia Mesot, this book was sweet and fun, and amusing. It has more words than your usual book of this nature and for me that's a good thing. The illustrations are well-done, fun and engaging, and the story is an unusual, but entertaining one. My family used to have a cat named Ginger who was a wild and crazy girl. Ginger here is a boy and the toad is the girl. The two meet and find each other interesting enough to become friends.

The book is divided into three short chapters each on a different topic. The first is of course their meeting, and becoming friends. The curious thing about that is that they don't tell each other their names, and are known throughout simply as Toad and Cat. They discuss their interests, which in Toad's case seem largely to be her fantasies about dragonflies, and in Cat's case seem to be mice. Go figure!

They talk about their love of singing, and have a duet even though each thinks the other's voice could use some training. They discuss hygiene and Cat opines about being shampooed, which leads to an amusing discussion about what purpose it serves and how Cat tried to sabotage the process at one point.

The book was deliciously offbeat and very warming to read, and I commend it completely.

Burt the Beetle Doesn't Bite! by Ashley Spires

Rating: WORTHY!

From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This was a cute, colorful, and educational look at an insect: a June beetle. The idea here is that insects have superpowers, but Burt has none. He doesn't seem to be able to emulate anything other insects famously do - like carry many times his own weight, or flying super-fast. But when it comes down to it, he finds he can use what attributes he does have to help his friends.

The story was great and I commend it fully. The ideas were fun and interesting, the story taught something while not making it feel like a lesson, and the artwork was engaging.

Gopher Golf by Karl Beckstrand, Jordan C Brun

Rating: WARTY!

I was curious about this book which is the third in a series of picture-only books. I have not read either of the other two, but I suspect these will appeal more to very young children than to anyone older, because to me it made little sense and wasn't really as easy to follow as I'd expected it to be - in the sense of knowing exactly what was going on.

The illustrations were very cute, and I liked the frenetic tone to the images, but there really wasn't a story in the way I'm used to following one. It was more like a middle with no beginning or end. Maybe for little kids this doesn't matter so much, but then I'm forced to ask: if there's essentially no story - or certainly no written story, when why is there an 'author'?!

An illustrator, or artist or however you care to describe Brun, makes sense, but I'm at a lost to see exactly what Beckstrand contributed except in the vaguest of general ideas. And yet he gets first billing over Brun! But that's a pet peeve of mine: I always feel the artist in books - children's books, comic books, whatever, deserves top billing for the work they put in, but the writer always gets that. It just seems wrong to me!

But I digress. I can't commend this as a worthy read not because there is literally nothing to read, but because it was just a shotgun blast of confusion. I've followed and enjoyed word-free books before, so it's not the format or style that turned me off. This one seemed neither a story nor a book, and certainly not a story book.

Goodnight, Santa by Dawn Sirette, Kitty Glavin

Rating: WORTHY!

For my very last children's christmas book review of 2020, I can't think of a better one than this one. This sports a light-up Moon - which isn't as impressive as it sounds, but is activated by a hidden pressure button on the cover. It also has a battery accessible (and turn-off-able!) module at the back, so there won't be a time when it runs down and becomes useless.

What I loved about this book, and what put it over the top as the best one I've seen this year, was the silhouette illustrations by Glavin, which are beautifully done; the book is worth getting just for those alone. The girl and her plush toy want to say goodnight to Santa, and end up taking a rather magical and Moonlit stroll through the winter landscape saying goodnight to everyone but. It's a fun and inventive book and I enjoyed it.

Merry Christmas, Mouse by Laura Numeroff, Felicia Bond

Rating: WORTHY!

Mice are always a lot more enjoyable in books than in real life aren't they? The mouse here is called Mouse and previously appeared in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie which sounds like fun just from the title. Mouse is intent upon decorating the tree and enjoys counting as he does it, so this Christmas story educates as well as entertains. And it's cute! It's a colorful pasteboard book written by Numeroff (she does the counting, get it?!) and illustrated by Bond, Felicia Bond.

Here Comes Santacorn by By Danielle McLean, Prisca Le Tandé

Rating: WORTHY!

This is another pasteboard book with glitter on the pages no less, and in it, the reindeer have colds and are unable to pull the sleigh. Fortunately, there's the Yulicorn who sports a candy cane striped horn, and who can help. The Yulicorn can pull Santa's sleigh by herself, as the rhyming text by McLean explains and the sweet illustrations by Le Tandé nicely demonstrate. A fun Christmas fantasy.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: A Christmas Activity Book

Rating: WORTHY!

No one gets credit for putting this together which is why I tend not to review books of this nature, but it's Christmas, so here goes, this once! This is exactly what it says. Most of the sixty-some pages are coloring pages, but others are word searches, or puzzles or of the word-scramble and 'find your way home' sort, and it includes everything from the old Christmas animated cartoon: the North Pole (which in reality is melting fast, so get it while it lasts!), the Island of Misfit Toys, and the Bumble, as well as Rudolf and Santa, and the misfit elf. And it comes complete with five colored pencils sporting pencil toppers of the main characters. This will keep your kids occupied while you get at the egg nog and the Christmas movie! Or even take that nap!