Kristen L. Depken

If you want to know how I feel about Paw Patrol, take a look at my review of the tv series. Ugh. Suffice it to say, I am not a fan. BUT. But, but, but, these are HUGELY popular. Generally, I try not to buy tv tie-in easy readers because they are so ill-suited to the actual task of, you know, learning to read. But sometimes popularity trumps actual readability and I did buy a selection of popular ones recently. Let's see what concoction of words and pictures I have inflicted upon the innocent show more children of my town.

Rubble is one of the Paw Patrol puppies. He drives a bulldozer. In this story, he has been watching a tv show about a superhero dog and wants to be a "super pup" and help people (even though....that's what Paw Patrol already does....?). He helps a farmer corral her chickens and then tries to take on a bigger task alone with disastrous results. Rubble calls Ryder (the human boy who leads the Paw Patrol) and they show up with friends to help. Working together, they save the day.

The generic illustrations could have been copied and pasted from the film or website, unsurprisingly since they're made by a company and not an actual, individual illustrator. The flat, digital illustrators lack expression or interest and are bland and forgettable, much like the text. The only positive thing that can be said about the storyline is that the message isn't hammered home at the end, but implied by the storyline which is remarkably subtle for this type of material. The text is large and laid out on plain backgrounds, which is a positive, but includes many words specific to the show which are more complex than this level of reader would usually encompass.

Verdict: Is this a quality book in regards to text or illustrations? Nope. It's bland, forgettable, and of only the vaguest literary quality. Will it check out? Heck yeah. This is one of the things I buy that fall into the "let kids choose their own books and they'll love reading" category. It's going to fly off the shelf and by the time it's utterly destroyed Paw Patrol will hopefully have been left in the rubble (heh) of another show.

ISBN: 9780553522914; Prebound edition published 2015 by Random House; Purchased for the library show less

This beginning reader is an abridged version of the Golden Book classic of the same name, that uses the same illustrations but much fewer words. It features a shy kitten that stumbles out into the world, befriending various other creatures before returning home and enjoying a picnic with family and friends. The narrative is a bit cryptic in its attempt to lower the reading level, not fully explaining the kitten's interactions or the reason for the picnic and what happens there, but the show more pictures generally fill in the blanks. The illustrations are wonderful, cuddly and bright and full of adorable animals. They are the best part of this book. While the story certainly is more readable than the original version, the abridgment leaves a choppy text that I found disconcerting until I realized it was a simplified retelling. While I do appreciate books that my daughters can read successfully to build confidence, I would rather have them read original materials written for that reading level. I would look for other beginning reader books, personally. show less

As distinct from "Chase's Space Race," which ploddingly describes the events of a paw patrol episode I haven't seen along with stills from the episode, this one ploddingly describes the events of a paw patrol episode I HAVE seen--I was surprised just how much more tedious that made it.

A super cute and very playful little boy named Pocoyo plays and makes discoveries in his own world while learning valuable life lessons and interpersonal skills. My son loved this when he was little and now my 18 month old daughter does too.

I think Pocoyo is perfect for little kids. When my son watched this he immediately started imitating Pocoyo and was trying to sound and act just like him. It is clear that the production team at Zinkia Entertainment know what they are doing. Pocoyo is show more constantly having fun and learning lessons about sharing and being nice to others. This was a serious resource I have used with my son when trying to teach him about sharing and other interpersonal skills. show less