Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Children’s Literature

  • The ADVENTURES of FRANK and MUSTARD: STUCK in the MUD by Simon Calcavecchia, Illustrated by Arturo Alvarez – Children’s Literature, Encouragement Friendship

    The ADVENTURES of FRANK and MUSTARD: STUCK in the MUD by Simon Calcavecchia, Illustrated by Arturo Alvarez – Children’s Literature, Encouragement Friendship

    Little Peeps 1st Place Best in Category Blue and Gold Badge ImageThe Adventures of Frank and Mustard: Stuck in the Mud, written by Simon Calcavecchia and illustrated by Arturo Alvarez is a heartening picture book that tells the story of an afternoon spent between two friends, and what happens when one of them finds himself in need of help.

    Frank, a differently-abled wiener dog with wheels for back legs, and Mustard, a small yellow bird, are out adventuring when they find a new trail they want to explore. Everything is going wonderfully until Frank literally gets stuck in the mud. He tries his best to get himself out, and then Mustard helps him as well, but to no avail. Frank seems hopelessly stuck. Undaunted, Mustard has an idea and rallies a group of new friends to help them. For a brief while, Frank despairs that he’ll be stuck forever, but together they succeed in helping Frank pull himself out of the mud.

    Illustrated with bold, colorful images and large text bubbles, The Adventures of Frank and Mustard is an excellent, encouraging book to read with children ages three to five. The story is all the more affirming given the author’s own life and experiences. There are questions in the back to get young minds thinking and involved in the story. The action is easy to follow and the message is spot on: Sometimes we need a little help from our friends, and that’s okay. And when you succeed, celebrate!

    The Adventures of Frank and Mustard: Stuck in the Mud won First Place in the Chanticleer Awards category for Early Readers – Little Peeps – in 2016.

    5 Stars! Best Book Chanticleer Book Reviews

     

  • HAZAD the STORY MASTER TELLS the BLUE BEETLE by Sara Dahmen – Children’s Literature, Belief in Self, Work, and Others, Determination/Drive

    HAZAD the STORY MASTER TELLS the BLUE BEETLE by Sara Dahmen – Children’s Literature, Belief in Self, Work, and Others, Determination/Drive

    A beautiful story of determination, dedication, and drive to fulfill one’s goals, even when those goals seem impossible to achieve, wrapped up in love for family and belief in self and others.

    Renni dreams of becoming a scribe, but his family is too poor to afford school. Renni’s father, Pentu, wants to give his son the education he craves; however, he has no job, and finding a way to earn the money proves nearly impossible for Pentu because he doesn’t have the strength required for most of the jobs in the city. After trying and failing at farming and fishing, Pentu returns home dejected, but Renni greets him each time with a reassuring hug.

    When he finally tries his hand at carving, Pentu is noticed by the local goldsmith who gives him a job. Pentu excels at making scarabs, a much-valued part of Egyptian culture. His favorite is a large, expensive lapis lazuli scarab, and Pentu knows that selling the jewel will give him the money needed to educate Renni for as long as he likes. When a traveling merchant finally buys the blue beetle, Renni will be able to make his dream come true.

    In this third volume of the Story Master series, Hazad, the storyteller, transports children to ancient Egypt where education is a privilege. With Pentu’s repetitive trials, this beautifully illustrated frame story is a bit like a cumulative tale. No matter how hard Pentu tries, he endures disappointment after disappointment; however, he never stops trying. His “never give up” attitude is inspiring. No matter the hardship, he will overcome anything to give his son the education he desires.

    The lesson about the value of education isn’t lost on the reader either. Children often undervalue the opportunity to learn while Renni yearns for only that, but even in the midst of Pentu’s disappointments, Renni remains positive. With every failure, he supports his father, reassuring Pentu of his love and never berating his father for being unsuccessful as he searches for his niche.

    In this celebration of artistry, The Blue Beetle will touch and inspire children to appreciate what they have, never stop trying regardless of the obstacles, and dream big.

    Sara Dahmen has worked in numerous facets in the publishing industry, including editing trade publications. Not only does she write children’s books, she also illustrates them and her historical fiction series, Flats Junction. However, publishing isn’t Sarah’s only talent. She is a copper and tinsmith apprentice, a wedding planner, and creator of her own cookware line. Throughout all of her many successful ventures, Sara cherishes life with her children and her husband.

    5 Star Best Book Chanticleer Reviews round silver sticker

  • The TOOTH COLLECTOR FAIRIES: Batina’s Best First Day by Denise Ditto – Children’s Literature, Early Reader Chapter Book, Fantasy & Magic

    The TOOTH COLLECTOR FAIRIES: Batina’s Best First Day by Denise Ditto – Children’s Literature, Early Reader Chapter Book, Fantasy & Magic

    Blue and white First place winner badge for The tooth collector Fairies, batina's best first day by Denise DittoIn Denise Ditto’s The Tooth Collector Fairies: Batina’s Best First Day, Batina wants one thing, to be the best Tooth Collector in all of Brushelot. Batina is a Tooth Fairy, and she can’t wait to get her first collecting assignment. Unfortunately, her first day doesn’t go quite as she planned. With her huge wings (three times the size of most of the fairies), she’s clumsy and a little awkward, but Batina has a job to do, collecting well-brushed teeth which can be turned magically into the rainbow dust that gives all of the fairies the ability to fly.

    Despite the sneers of Jolene, an unhappy fairy who isn’t allowed to gather the precious teeth, Batina and her friends, Lulu and Lainey, can’t wait to begin their tasks, and each of them hopes to win the Best First Day ribbon awarded by Crown Mistress Molar. However, gathering the teeth from under the pillows of sleeping children is only the first step. When Batina returns with her prized first tooth, she must find a way to help the Tooth Inspector with a sabotaged conveyor belt and to fix the Super-Duper Magic Dust-Making Machine, or her first day might be ruined.

    Batina’s story is one of determination and teamwork. Again and again, she must overcome her problems and celebrate her differences. Those huge wings often get in her way, but she remains undaunted. Instead, she finds a way to make the wings work in her favor. She also values the role of her friends and calls on them to help her solve the day’s problems. She recognizes the importance of their individual talents and even finds a way to help Jolene the bully, stop being a bully, and be her friend. The positive message of working together and embracing diversity makes this early-level chapter book, illustrated by Gabhor Utomo, shine.

    Young and not-so-young readers alike will be happy to learn that Batina’s Best First Day is the first in the Tooth Collector Fairies series. There is more adventure waiting for all!

    Author Denise Ditto not only loves writing children’s books, but she is also the Executive Director at Houston Writers House, a position she shares with her business partner Rebecca Nolen, and is the former Director of the Houston Writers Guild. A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, she has also published an award-winning short story. She lives in Texas, her home state, with her husband.

    The Tooth Collector Fairies: Batina’s Best First Day won Grand Prize in CIBAs 2016 LITTLE PEEPS Awards for Children’s Literature. Follow this link to the Chanticleer Review of the second book in the series, Home from Decay Valley.