Amy Dixon

Picture Book
October 2017


This is a picture book about Maurice - a beast! I think he could be loosely interpreted as an animal, as animals are, technically, beasts. Maurice could be an undiscovered species, especially in a child's mind where there is a fine line of what's real and imaginary. Plus, I really enjoy the lesson and meaning. I'm adding this to the list because it teaches us how even though we're all different, we each have talents we can use in a different way. We don't have to be the same to be or feel important/special. Maurice continues to be himself and is eventually accepted for who he is, not having to change for anyone.

This book is absolutely adorable! Maurice is a beast unlike other beasts. He is kind to other beings, he has a melodic voice, he likes organic snacks. Which are all wonderful, unless you're a beast! His parents are worried about him. They even enrolled him into a special school to teach him beastly skills. Maurice doesn't want to be a disappointment, but he also just wants to be free to be himself. He decides to attempt to go to the school his parents have enrolled him in. At every turn, he is not matching up to the other beasts. Where they are fearsome and brutish, he is sweet and delightful. Where they are messy, he is neat and polite. Maurice is not sure if he will ever fit in. Until one day an unknown creature enters the school. All the other beasts are unsure how to react. Will Maurice know what to do? Will the other creatures accept him after all? You'll have to read this book to find out.… (mehr)

Sophie's Animal Parade is a cute book about a young child with a great imagination and a lot of creativity. Sophie loved to draw and everything she drew came to life. She draws herself an animal friend and it appears in her room. Soon she has a room full of animals and shoos them all outside. She meets another child outside who says he's a great lion tamer and they begin to become friends. Of course, joining the two friends and their animal friends is a lion that Sophie has drawn for her friend to tame.

I thought this was a lovely book that speaks about friendship and using imagination to bond two children together in play activity. I liked that the activities they were engaged in were physical activities and had nothing to do with the electronic games and toys that are so pervasive in our children's play times these days. The use of imagination almost seems to be a lost art among children. I like how Sophie's Animal Parade encourages the use of imagination in play.

The pictures were clear and realistic. It was easy to tell what the animals were supposed to be. Parents and children could use the drawings to talk about what colour those animals were or talk about relative size and then apply that information to the actual animal and the information would be correct.

I thought that this book would make good story for parents to read to very young children and then for slightly older children to begin reading for themselves. I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

My complete review is published at Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogspot.com/2015/05/book-review-sophies-animal-...… (mehr)