4/5 ( )

Kenny and the Book of Beasts by Tony DiTerlizzi is the wonderful, charming sequel to Kenny and the Dragon. The sequel would make sense if read alone, but both books are absolutely excellent. I believe this one is better because the characters are deeper.

In the opening pages, we find that Kenny has graduated from being the only child, with the addition of a dozen delightful tiny bunnies. They are an adorable handful, and keep Kenny’s parents busy. Between the new litter, and Kenny’s friends being busy with their own life plans, Kenny feels lonely.

This story is really well-timed, as so many of us have had to reduce socializing lately. Also, plenty of adventure and action. I was really looking forward to this book, and I was not disappointed.

StorybookCat.com ( )

This is the 2nd book in a series, but it can be read as a stand alone, which I did since I haven't yet quite had the time to read book one. I will be, however, since I really enjoyed this read!

Kenny is a rabbit, who's ending his school years and has 12 younger sisters. He's already thought of as something special, since he met his best friend, a dragon, and managed to prove that dragons won't eat everyone they see. Now, that life has settled down, he's off to the fair with his family and dragon friend. There he's lucky enough to become the owner of a fix-it-upper automobile...but he has no idea how good it is that he acquires a car, since a new adventure is about to begin.

This book is so cute and fun and adventurous and simply a lovely read! Kenny and his friends are a wonderful bunch, full of warmth and a bit of humor. His mother is careful. His father warns. And his dragon friend speaks so properly and yet, has a lot to learn. Kenny is the perfect rabbit for an adventure.

This book runs at a nice pace, starting out with a few scenes to let the reader sink into the life and characters before taking off in adventure. Its a bit slower than some novels, but still is never boring and definitely holds in the pages. When the adventure starts, there's a bit of tension, a bit of gruffness and a wonderful dab of humor filtered in. It's hard to put the book down, and even harder not to love these characters.

As an extra bonus, illustrations are heavily spread through the pages. These black and white sketches add so much to the fun and life. But then, I'm a huge fan of illustrations in books...and these really are very well done.

Summed up, this is a book I can highly recommend and believe it is a series, which many readers will love. ( )