Hayes Roberts

I loved The Brave Monkey Pirate. I thought this was an adorable modern fantasy that had a great plot line and excellent illustrations. I love the plot line because the author put the main character, Modi, through exciting obstacles. He went through obstacles like the “wildest seas”, “volcanoes filled with fiery lava”, and an “icy castle.” These adventures make for an interesting and exciting read. I also loved the illustrations. The author drew the characters as various animals with large eyes. These drawings brought an even greater animation and sense of adventure to the book. They were drawn with detail and the emotion was portrayed well on each page. The message I took from this book is to not be afraid of going to the doctors and that we are all a little braver than we may think.… (more)

Overall, The Wiener Dog Magnet is a simplistic picture book for very young readers. The plot contains very simplistic plot elements which tie into the main idea of the story, which tells of a young monkey who acquired a wiener dog magnet which attracted many real wiener dogs. She used them to rescue a bunch of alligators. While the plot lacks refinement, depth, and quality, it teaches readers that while something may seem bad at first, there is ultimately a reason as to why it happened. It also teaches readers to find good things in otherwise negative situations. This book was written and illustrated by an independent author.… (more)