The Hare And The Tortoise (Beat The Bullies!)

Written by Mike Nach

This book is certainly not a rehash of the familiar tale, but rather a unique guide on the problem of bullying written to inform, entertain and enlighten children and adults. In the introduction, the author presents an overview on what bullying is, the effects of bullying, and the problems it causes. He promises that the story will help out victims of bullying.

His story is set in the peaceful forest where an alligator, bear, owl and python maintain law and order. Harry Hare is a natural athlete. His wife, Cathy scolds him for his vanity and tells him, “Your attitude sucks.” On the other hand, Tom Tortoise and his family are the slowest creatures in the forest, but they are kind and peaceful. One day while on his way to collect mushrooms for his family, Tom is accosted by Harry who taps on his shell and belittles him for his slowness. Poor Tom tries to avoid Harry and becomes troubled and anxious. But one day, Mr. Fox notices his worry and assures Tom he has a plan. Tom follows his suggestion, even though he is not confident that the plan will work. Harry will learn his lesson and Tom will have a peaceful life once more.

That is not the end of the lesson for the reader. In the second half of the book Nach provides a summary of the seven types of bullies: verbal bullies, emotional bullies, physical bullies, cyber bullies, sexual bullies, racist/status bullies, and adult bullies. More importantly, he sets up an action plan for the victims of bullies to pursue. The strategy includes remaining calm and confident, avoiding the bully whenever possible, controlling your emotions, reporting all instances to an authority figure, blocking gossip from the bully, and learning self defense. Nach’s final advice to a victim of bullying is never give up on yourself or give in to bullying others.

I recommend this book to parents, librarians, and teachers as an much needed and effective guide to introducing and discussing the problem of bullying to all school age children. The author does not preach, rather he talks to children in language they understand using phrases like, “whatever” and “don’t mess with me.” Makes the reader feel as if he is speaking with a good friend discussing a problem. In my opinion, that is what makes this book so enjoyable, informative and effective.

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Carlo The Mouse: Book 1 Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse

Written by Mrs.D.

Illustrated by Chanoa

This is the first of a series of adventures involving Carlo. In the first book, Carlo has just been born in Hospitalia, Florida. He lives with his parents behind the walls of the hospital. Carlo is always hungry. He dreams of exploring the kitchen where the chef concocts international dishes, but his parents are eager to protect their curious child. Carlo asks them if they could move to Italy, France, Germany or any foreign country so that he could sample its cuisine.

Carlo continues to pester his parents. Finally, the day comes when they agree to let him explore the halls of the hospital. However, they give him five rules that he must always follow. He must always be neat, avoid the manager’s office, only visit patients who are watching cooking shows, stay away from the infectious disease ward, and never visit the kitchen! Of course, you can guess Carlo will experience enormous difficulty following these rules, especially the last one. With tears in their eyes, the protective parents watch as Carlo ventures forth to explore wearing the sweater that his mother has just knitted for him.

The series is previewed at the end of the book and promises to be a set of exciting adventures matched with lots of lessons for young children to learn. Chanoa has done a wonderful job with the illustrations which are, at the same time, soft and bold. The personalities of the characters shine through the page. Carlo reminds me a bit of Despereaux minus the big ears. This book makes a great read aloud for parent or teacher and invites discussion among adults and children. Recommended for ages three and above. Looking forward to meeting Carlo again in Book Two as he begins his tour of the hospital.

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Princess Madeline and the Dragon: Book Three

Written by Kirstin Pulioff

Illustrated by Sara Twitty and edited by Jeremy Sandler

This is the third book in a trilogy based on the adventures of Princess Madeline. While I do heartily recommend that you read all three, a reader will find any of the three a satisfying fantasy adventure aimed at tweens and teens but no less enjoyable for adults.

Pulioff expertly guides the reader into this story by setting the stage in the Prologue in which we learn the kingdom of Soron is again under attack. Long ago, Lord Hawthorne followed out orders to attack the dragons in the surrounding forests ushering in a battle between dragons and humans. The wizard, Elias, tells Princess Madeline that all lived in peace until humans tried to steal the magic in the dragon’s eggs and the red dragon was captured. Now the kingdom is threatened by the wrath of the green dragon. When King Theodore is burned by the dragon and lies near death, the fate of the kingdom falls into the hands of Princess Madeline and her twin brother, Braden.

As they makes plans for the kingdom to survive, two major events will take place the next day: the coronation of Braden as king, and the marriage of Madeline to her knight, Daniel. The wizard Elias will accompany Madeline, Daniel and their friends as well as the villagers through the system of underground tunnels to safety in a land to the north near the Dragon’s Gate. At the same time the new king prepares for the battle with his knights in an attempt to rid the land of the dragon threat.

While treking through the dark tunnels, Elias reveals the prophecy of Queen Eleanor, who died while protecting Braden and Madeline. No one has yet deciphered the meaning of “He who recovers the orbs holds the line of the future.” When Madeline finds the missing dragon eggs and holds one up that illuminates the darkness, she realizes that she might have found the secret. She rushes to find Braden, who is already engaged in mortal combat; he is determined to destroy the eggs and the dragon.

Madeline and Braden both have strong personalities that have been developing throughout the series, but their philosophies and ensuing actions are at opposite ends. Whoever succeeds in persuading the other on how to proceed forward will determine the future of the Soron Kingdom and whether, or if, that kingdom will survive. The culmination of this inward struggle produces the most action of the series in this third volume. Pulioff has again succeeded in carefully delineating her characters. At the same time she produces more than enough adventure, action, fantasy and mystery for tweens and teens to enjoy. They may not even realize they are learning valuable life lessons and character development!

IMPORTANT NOTE; The second book in this series, The Battle for Princess Madeline is currently available FREE on AMAZON until Jan. 24, 2014. http://motherdaughterbookreviews.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=5bbf14b751f589ebf5ff0e6ba&id=ebd900fd06&e=f4533b3c18

You can read my review of the first book in this series, The Escape of Princess Madeline here https://bamauthor.me/2013/08/14/princess-in-peril

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Pippy and Beth

Written by Graham Denny

This book explores the devastating issue of loss confronting a family when a pet dies. Denny writes a powerful tale to illustrate that journey of  a child named Beth, the young protagonist we meet at the beginning of the story who shares a wonderful relationship with her dog, Pippy.  The reader is introduced to Beth’s sad family at the vet’s office where they have brought Pippy to be put to sleep. Beth is distraught and has a tummy ache from eating too much of the ice cream at the fancy restaurant her parents have brought her to in an effort to distract her. Once back at home, Beth kisses Pippy’s picture and finally falls asleep.

Beth is soon awakened by a scratching sound. At first she thinks it is Valerie and Shelley, those horrible twins who make her life miserable at school. As she yells at them to go away, Beth realizes that Pippy is in the room and that he is TALKING TO HER! He warns her to hurry and leads her out the sliding door into the night. Pippy introduces Beth to other talking animal friends including sparrows, mice, a fox, a badger, rabbits and two cats. All of these are dressed eloquently like humans and act as if they were human. Beth finally gets the courage to ask Pippy if he knows that he has died. He explains that of course he does and continues to lead her through the woods to a grassy clearing. After eating a huge breakfast, they reach the top of a hill shrouded in mist. There is music, dance and laughter as Pippy walks down to the other side after saying his goodbyes.

Beth is saddened. What does all this mean? She does not know how to go on. But her parents have a solution, and Beth will eventually find the strength and courage to deal with Pippy’s death and all her other problems at school.

This book is a wonderful read as simply a love story between a child and pet, but it is such a valuable resource to help a family cope with loss turning that tragedy into a vehicle to make themselves stronger. Parents and teachers can use it as a guide for discussion on a very difficult topic.

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