Childrens New Release and Review: The Queen of the Frogs by Davide Cali and Illustrated by Marco Soma

The Queen of the Frogs 
by Davide Cali (Author), Marco Somà (Illustrations)
 
Release Date: March 20, 2017

Description:
An enchanting modern fable.

The frogs enjoy their life at the pond, filling their days with fly brunches and night music. But one day a little frog finds a crown at the bottom of the pond and is instantly pronounced a queen. She starts doing what queens do: making demands and expecting others to serve her. But when her royal subjects start to question her authority, she must prove she's fit to rule—if she can.

Reminiscent of Aesop's fables, this beautifully illustrated book is sure to start a discussion about the concept of leadership and the importance of humility.


My Review:
What a sweet little story about a frog who finds a crown and becomes the frog queen. I like how it has a moral showing that having a crown doesn't make you a good queen. The explanation around the crown itself is also cool and left a smile on my face.

The illustrations are lovely, not cartoony, but interesting with neat froggy contraptions and scenarios. I think I would I have liked this had I read it as a kid, mostly for the details in the pictures, but also for the queen's plight. It is simple, but not simplistic.

I would have liked to know what happened to the queen beyond just after having lost her crown.

Overall, I really liked it. Good for bedtime reading, interesting pictures, and simple story. Recommended.

I picked this up on NetGalley for a quick read.


About the Author:
Davide Cali was born in Liestal, Switzerland and lives in Genoa. He was a comic writer and illustrator for various magazines until he turned to children's books in 2000. At first both an author and illustrator, he finally decided only to write. Since then, he has written more than 20 picture books, which have been translated into many languages. --translated from the Goodreads author profile

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Childrens Picture Book Review: My Grandma's a Ninja by Todd Tarpley

My Grandma's a Ninja by Todd Tarpley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This kept me laughing the whole time. I actually have tears in my eyes.

Ok, first off, the cadence of this story is excellent. I think this would be a great bedtime story. It's quick and funny. The pictures are cute and the jokes are, too.

The illustrations are simple, but funny. I like how the grandma ninja still wears her necklace. The slow motion ninja moves are well done, too.

And the ending? Priceless.

I would say the only thing that could be done better is the font and text formatting used inside. It looks like it's Arial, which isn't a particularly interesting font. Plus, it seems rather small. I think a serif font, a bit bigger, would fit in with the illustrations a bit better. Also, the larger font would be easier to read during bedtime when lights might be dimmed a bit to get the youngsters in the mood for sleep. Another note on the text is that the paragraph indents seem weird. Sure, paragraphs tend to start with an indent, but in picture books, we're talking one or two liners. I think no indent would look better.

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Childrens Book Review and Giveaway (US only): The Case of the Cursed Dodo by Jake G. Panda

Today I'm happy to post both a review and a giveaway. After you check out the review, don't forgot to scroll down and enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of the book from the author.

The Case of the Cursed Dodo by Jake G. Panda
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Case of the Cursed Dodo is a rather unique read mixing the feel of an old mystery detective show with endangered animal rights activism. Jake the panda is a detective based in the Last Resort, a hotel for endangered animals. A phone call from a friend in trouble sets him on the path of both a kidnapping and an unsolved mystery.

The story is interesting and well-edited. The approach taken to tell the story is unique, more like watching a movie than reading a book. Everything is organized in scenes, with camera perspective shifts indicated in all caps. The narration lines are in italics, so you know when the narrator's voice over is happening. I tended to imagine a deep rumbly voice for these, as I believe they are told from Jake's perspective.

I also like that all of the characters are animals, though I thought some of them could use a bit more description. The focus is on endangered animals, and those are the nearly exclusive focus of the cast list. The downside is that some of them are rather obscure, so without description or illustration, they are hard to imagine. It seems at times almost like a catalog of the creatures.

The illustrations in the book are well done. I thought they were classy and fit the story. They have a sort of dreamlike feel, or perhaps a sense of being in an older era. I looked at them on both my tablet and my kindle (a regular cheap kindle) and they looked great on both.

The plot and the terminology meant to land us in the old detective setting from the black and white movie era, while interesting and entertaining, might not exactly make sense to children unless they happen to have watched movies from the genre that inspired this story. Personally, I think older folks would like this story the best. I was reminded of Dick Tracy and Warner Brothers cartoons that feature detectives. Still, I think children will enjoy the story for the animals and the action, all of which is kid friendly (to a degree). As always, I'd recommend that adults read the story ahead of time before giving it to their kids.

So, overall, I thought this was interesting and easy to read. The story, while meant to inspire nostalgia, will probably only do so for older readers. Younger readers will likely enjoy the animal characters and the illustrations. I'd recommend this to people who enjoy mysteries and sleuthing stories, classic movies about the same, and illustrated books. Those who also appreciate stories that raise their awareness about issues in non-preachy ways will find this story satisfying in that regard.

I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.

Enter below for a chance to win an autographed copy of The Case of the Cursed Dodo! This raffle is open only to US Residents.

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Author and Book Links
Main website: http://www.endangeredfiles.com -- Links to sites where children and readers can learn more about the endangered animals in this book, such as what they look like.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theendangeredfiles
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jakegpandapi  or @jakegpandapi

Find a copy of this book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0990939111

Children's Book Review: Eliza Bluebell by A.J. York

Eliza Bluebell by A.J. York
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another one of A.J.'s magical stories. This one features a mysterious young woman who takes a break from her quest to find family to open a sweet shop in a small town. No one is certain how or when Eliza showed up, but everyone remembers it. After that, each chapter features one or two of the people from the town and how Eliza touches their lives. Eliza becomes a legend in the town's lore. A woman whose departure was as mysterious as her arrival.

In this story, which is pretty short, I most enjoyed the chapters in the middle, because each one is told from the perspective of a different villager. The nosy neighborhood women, the best friends in the grade school, the old man who grumbles and times the bus, and the young couple who are down on their luck. I like how Eliza draws them out of their shells and helps them connect to each other. Eliza's sentient and playful shadow adds that element of magic to everything. The people don't notice it directly, but they are affected by it. This is one of those stories that just left me feeling good.

The illustrations are also well done, though simple in their execution. Just silhouettes and shadows against a white background. They are obviously done by a skilled artist, though not as whimsical or laughter inducing as those in the author's other books. They fit the story and introduce the subject of each chapter effectively.

Although I liked this story, I think the story could have done just as well either without the first chapter, or with a much shorter one. I think this was because the first chapter was more of a telling than a showing. Later ones were more of a showing, which is why I enjoyed them more. There was also a fair amount of repetition, particularly within the first chapter.

Overall, I really liked the story, though it had a slow start. I'd recommend Eliza Bluebell to folks who like uplifting short stories with a touch of humor and magic.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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Add Eliza Bluebell to your TBR

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23652748-eliza-bluebell

Get Eliza Bluebell now!

http://www.amazon.com/Eliza-Bluebell-J-York-ebook/dp/B00QFZ6XLO

Connect with A.J. York

www.ajyork.com
www.facebook.com/delilahdusticle
https://twitter.com/

Humorous Fiction Review: Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adventure by A.J. York

Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adventure by A.J. York
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Delightful, lighthearted and funny.

Delilah the dust eradicator is back, and she's received a mysterious invitation from none other than Count W. Dracula. He's getting ready for a big party and neads her team to prepare the castle for his guests. But, when she and her assistants arrive, they're in for a surprise.

Book 2 in this series is fantastic. Where book 1 focuses on Delilah's broken heart and how she gets over it, book 2 picks up after she's figured out who she is and is happy with it. Unlike book 1, which focuses on feelings kids may not be familiar with, this story is definitely something kids would get and enjoy.


The characters and creatures in this book are entertaining and humorous. I love the quirky Grumpy Sponge (which I suspect is represented in the author's profile picture), especially when someone makes him angry. The Count is surprising and his efforts to prepare for the party and fit in to what people expect represent one of the main themes of this book. And, of course, Delilah's special abilities pull everything together.

Unlike the first book where the struggle was mainly internal to Delilah, this one introduces a villain or two and adds an element of danger. These things add to the excitement and make book 2 a page turner. I wish I could say more, but I don't want to spoil any of the book's surprises.

Finally, there are illustrations. I must say that almost every one I came across made me chuckle (or outright laugh) and they all fit perfectly into the part of the story they portray. I still want to know what the ? setting on the elevator does. The illustrator does a fine job of enhancing the story without distracting from it. Also, the pictures show up well on my tablet.

I do have a concern that the "handwritten notes" may not be quite readable on smaller devices or those that do not display illustrations. The notes are pictures, so they cannot be adjusted to the font size the reader prefers. I use a tablet and the longer notes displayed text smaller than the size I was using. Also, if I had been using my Kindle, I'm not certain they would have appeared at all, so I wouldn't have learned the contents of any of the Count's messages. My kindle is a bit of the cheapest one available. Still, on my tablet, they all displayed fine. I'm just concerned that not all readers would be able to see them, and they would be missing out on some important information. The notes, in my opinion, are vital to the storyline.

Overall, I absolutely loved this story. It's fantastic and magical, humorous and whimsical. The characters, major and minor, are entertaining. And the underlying themes of learning to be yourself and love what you have instead of what others have are admirably wrought. I would highly recommend this story to anyone, young or old, who likes a lot of humor, a little mystery, and a bit of magic.

I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.

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Links of interest:
Website: www.ajyork.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/delilahdusticle
Twitter: @delilahdusticle
Illustrator website : http://www.gavinchilds.com

Review: Delilah Dusticle by A.J. York

Delilah Dusticle by A.J. York
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A charming story with a positive message.

Delilah Dusticle has a special gift: she can magically eradicate dust with uncanny ease. Her skills are much sought after, but she remains steadfastly loyal to her employers, the Fenchurch-Whittingtons, not because the offers she receives aren't attractive, but because she has a crush on their son, Charlie. With a light heart and her dust destroying skills in full bloom, Delilah revels in the occassional smile or admiring comment. However, her world and her abilities are shattered when Charlie comes home from a business trip with a new fiance in tow.

This story, while short, packs a powerful message of friendship, self-worth, and looking for the good in what you have. Delilah wears her heart on her sleeve, literally, as when she's down and doubting herself her powers backfire and coat her and everthing around her with dust. An unlikely friendship and the insight it brings finally bring her out of her cloud and back into the spotless sunshine and help her to realize that she has something to offer and that feeling sorry for herself won't get her anywhere.

The book is well written and the plot leaves no loose ends. The message is solid and the delivery is delightful. It slightly reminds me of Mary Poppins, where the ordinary servant has extraordinary powers, but in this case, Delilah comes off as more real than fantasy.

Overall, I really liked this book and recommend it to those who like a quick, positive read with a little humor and magic mixed in. I think this story would appeal mostly to adults because they are more likely to empathize with Delilah, but it is appropriate for a younger audience as well.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest, non-reciprocal review.

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 Links of interest:
Website: www.ajyork.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/delilahdusticle
Twitter: @delilahdusticle Illustrator website : http://www.gavinchilds.com

Novella Review: Flute of the Wind Queen by Eisah

And now for something a little different. Today's contribution to my short or shortish book theme is Flute of the Wind Queen.

I picked up this novella in a book review club on Goodreads where I received a free copy of the ebook in exchange for a review.

It caught my eye because of the worried looking guy with the big ears on the cover, but I didn't expect to find pictures inside. Not just one or two pictures, but several, meaningful and relevant full page illustrations fill the book. I thought it was a nice touch, and in this case, nicely done.

Later, when I went to post the review on Amazon, I found this funny author profile picture and write up for Eisah. I always enjoy finding gems like this.