Ellie O'Ryan

I read this book because I saw the Enchantimals toy, and there is something very adorable about pretty half animal half human girls running around with their animal besties. But I didn't have much of an idea about what sort of world they lived in. It turns out it is a very sweet world of 'how to have fun' and 'how to be a good friend'. Felicity Fox wants to organise a camping trip, but assumes the Weather Knower is broken when it predicts a huge storm. Reader, it is not. So there is a show more surprisingly accurate description of 'what is it like if you try to have a nice walk and you have totally inadequate clothes and get rained on', 'what is it like when you do the sensible thing and abandon your camping plan and go home because you are all hypothermic and everything is doomed' and 'how do you cheer your friend up when the big thing she was invested in has all gone terribly wrong'.. It's not going to win the Nobel Prize for literature, but the plot and morals feel realistic, well pitched, and heartwarming. show less

This short book approaches the best ideals of its little sub-genre. Wish Bear runs out to get everyone Christmas presents, but falls sick, and every else has to save the day and remind her of what really matters. It's a simple elegant story that's sweet without being too overly affected.

Wish Bear catches a cold while tackling his Christmas wish list, but the other Care Bears pitch in to tend to Wish Bear and work the list.

I find the Care Bears to be consistently boring and a frequently irksome. My daughter liked them, but this book failed to impress her when she was six.

FOR REFERENCE:

Rated “Indifferent" in our old book database by Rod and Adelia.

Grade 1-3
Belle and the rest of the castle are busy planning a ball for the winter solstice. When choosing her dress Belle thinks she sees a bracelet similar to the bracelet her father made for her when she was a small child. She tells the castle objects about the bracelet and what the bracelet meant to her. This makes her miss her father and she becomes sad. The objects in the house decide they need to cheer Belle up and make her fill at home by making her a new bracelet to show her that show more she is part of their family now. This story focus in not so much on Belle but the enchanted objects that Belle lives with inside the castle. The book lacks character development since most young readers are familiar with the Belle story so this should not surprise that the writer didn't try to reinvent the wheel. The story contains beautiful illustrations on various pages throughout the book. show less