Sue Hendra

A spooky witch enchants a bunch of pumpkins to be her servants and most of them are named things like "Icky" and "Ooze" but one is named Christopher. All the other pumpkins decorate with spiderwebs and cook rotten rat pizza for dinner but Christopher decorates with pastel balloons and bakes pink cupcakes. The witch says he needs to be spooky and has to scare someone or she will kick him out so he scares HER with cute pink things.

This book rules! I love that nothing “happens” to show more Christopher to make him different, he just is that way even though he was made exactly the same as the other pumpkins. And he’s just unabashedly himself. I especially liked that he doesn’t actually get “acceptance” in the end, he just has fun scaring the witch away by being himself, because he is self-aware enough to know that who he is is scary to her, but never considers changing. show less

Silliness spews as an adorable snail searches for his place in life.

Norman is a slug, but he wishes he was a snail. The search for a perfect shell brings him across the most interesting possibilities, and the results. . .well, things don't quite turn out the way anyone thought they would.

The cover on this one is an eye-catcher and lures kids (and parents) attention right away, not only thanks to the glittery foil, but a doughnut as a shell is simply fantastic. The story itself begins with show more the reasoning why Norman needs a doughnut for a shell. On the first spread, he encounters a pyramid of lovely snails. After the encounter ends in clumsy disaster—at first, it wasn't clear what exactly happened, which caused a bit of a stumble until some thinking and flipping between those first two pages finally let enlightenment strike—the fun begins. Either way, Norman hooks from the get-go. He's super cute, super sweet and the type of slug to cuddle and snuggle. . .if one doesn't mind slime.

Words are kept at the minimum to let the story flow. It's concise and to the point, letting the tale and illustrations take lead. Young readers will fall into the story immediately and bounce from situation to situation without the slightest bit of pause. It's great for those who adore silliness and, especially, those with a short attention span—a real plus for younger listeners. Giggles are guaranteed, and there's even a moment of suspense. The ending will either leave a reader thinking, dreaming or simply saying 'huh' and wondering what just hit them. It's a book younger listeners will adore, while older ones will either enjoy it, or shake their heads and toss it to the side. It's an original tale, which hits or doesn't.

The illustrations are like a candy store rainbow. Every page invites with bright colors and whimsical depictions. These are what brings this book to life and make Norman a slug to love.

Summed up, this is a book young listeners are sure to enjoy. Older listeners/readers, however, could fall either way. It's quirky and ridiculous, and doesn't follow the usual story flow. With all of the fun, it does pull kids into thought without them ever realizing it, and might inspire them to adopt a slug of their own. show less

Taking a moment all kids can identify with, this book twists a giggle worthy tale which might even throw in a silly gasp.

Alan is having tons of fun with his friends, so when the first signs having to wee slide in, he's reluctant to leave the excitement. Luckily, his friends understand the dire situation and head out to help him search for a bathroom. But things don't go as planned, especially as the distractions mount and the toilet possibilities fade away.

Alan and his friends are a fun show more group, and this radiates off the pages from the very start. They support each other and have one another's backs no matter what. This warmth along with the determination not to leave a friend alone with his problem make it a lovely read, which holds that special something even when the silliness ensues.

The 'I-need-to-pee-dance' in the very first pages already hits a very familiar chord, which kids (and adults) quickly identify with. Alan's search for a bathroom hits a sympathetic note as he first battles his own decision to search out a bathroom or play, and then becomes dire when a toilet isn't as easy to find as hoped. It's a situation everyone finds themselves in and an inner-battle situation especially kids known too well. But this search soon hits ridiculous and quirky humor, and that's what makes this a book to love too. Kids will shake their heads, laugh and wonder at Alan's attempts, while still knowing full well what type of situation he's in.

The illustrations are vibrant and lively, yet hold a geometrical simplicity. This is a playful tale, and that hits every page. This is an imaginative group of friends who invites to fun the entire way through. And it will have young listeners coming back again and again.

I received an ARC and despite my raised eyebrows, enjoyed the fun and message very much. show less

This book is a great informational text that is easy to comprehend and does a great comparison between the night and daytime of the rain forest. The main idea of this book is to clearly compare the different times of the day in a rain forest. I really liked that the illustrations were bright when it was explaining the day time and then turned into darker hues of color for the night. This set the overall tone for the book and allowed the reader to be in the correct mindset for the story. I show more also enjoyed that the parrots featured on the front cover made appearances throughout the book. This is a great and easy tactic than every author should follow. Sometimes I see a book with an amazing cover that has nothing to do with the story inside. Although, there was not a story line in the text the information within made it enjoyable and easy to read. The illustrations were a great factor of the book and pulled my attention towards the main idea that was being portrayed in the text. show less