Janice Lee Smith

Ok, so I picked this one up quick to read it and see what my kids have been reading. I sometimes wonder where these children's authors get their ideas and I wonder if they understand who they are catering to. I am of mixed emotions about this book. Here are the positives:

Its cute. Well drawn and it will catch your child's eye. It is a chapter book and for new readers it makes them feel big and important and proud. I remember when my son held this book up and said, "Look Dad, I am reading chapter books now." It will give the kids a sense of accomplishment.

There is no violence and it has the level of fantasy you would expect such as ants marching loudly because they had army boots on. Cute, very cute.

Now the negatives:

Maybe its the way I have been raised. Maybe it was because I came from a poor family. But the message coming from this book, I just don't agree with. And I can see where a small mind gets confused as they deal with every day life. Everything is solved by Magic. The story is about a Wizard, his Dog and his vulture. The vulture is always screaming that there is trouble coming. The good part of the book is that they devote a couple of pages to having the Wizard prepare for the trouble. This is a good message. Don't be afraid but be prepared to face trouble. All good. But then everything gets solved by Magic. OK, I am stretching it here. Its a kids book what the heck do I want? What I did note is that the trouble that comes at the end, magic can not solve. Read on....

I guess that what bothered me the most is the ending. If you don't want to have a spoiler and want to read this with your child, don't read further.

In the end, the trouble that the vulture was alluding to was that a female vulture was coming to make his life miserable. I kind of disagree with the way this is placed. Actually, I think this type of adult humor (that is how I see it) has no place in children's books. Kids don't get it and we are leading them to think this way. Think about it. These books can be impressionable to kids and I feel the author has steered a child's mind, however minor, to think that the female of any species is trouble.

This is just my take on it...I could be wrong. You could have a different point of view.
… (mehr)

Personal Review:

The Kid Next Door by Janice Lee Smith was one of the titles included on the audio recording I listened to. It is a humorous story about the difficulties and problems encountered by two 'best' friends and how they work to a solution. The characters and their behavior are believable, but the author uses extreme circumstances and exaggeration to develop the humor (even though kids will find it entertaining). I also found the narrator's voice quality to be monotone and lacking in true emotion when needed. Maybe the text version is more fun.… (mehr)