I ordered this expecting something less substantial. There is a greater word count than I thought it would have. The pictures are more representative and expressive than I thought they would be. And the lesson is sharper and more true to life than I anticipated. The moral lesson reminds me of the lesson we learned from the lie that was perpetrated against Nick Sandmann of Covington Catholic High School. There is more repentance in fiction than by CNN and its accomplices though.
Henry the Sheepdog & the Wolf of Mossville is not only substantial, sharp, and relevant; it is stylistically pleasing. A lot of work was put into crafting this little gem. I like how ideas are carried through the narrative, like when somebody did something ‘not entirely nice.’ The media outfits competing for customers are perfectly named for kids to enjoy: The Morning Mossville, The Hamster Herald, The Beaver Buzz, The Racoon Review, and The Pup’s Press. The characters, too, are attractive: like Helen the Hedgehog and Karen the Porcupine. And how about ‘Fiddlesticks and Fur!’ and ‘Stuff and Nonsense!’ for exclamations? This little book is so good that I must provide an excerpt. “The Hamsters were horrified. The Squirrels were shocked. The Foxes were frightened. The Possums were petrified.” That’s how you write a book for kids! I am tempted to quote some more. But I don’t want to give too much away.
The grammar is not everywhere perfect; but it’s almost there. There are many characters to keep track of. But this book should be read to little ones often; and then it should be read by the children themselves more than once. This book is suitable, I think, for anyone who is old enough to understand full sentences.
No comments:
Post a Comment