Ruby Loves Adventure

From Goodreads: A resilient and quirky colony of church mice fears another Great X more than they fear cats. Under Mouse Mistress Hildegarde’s leadership, they save themselves from one danger after another—sometimes just by the skin of their tails! Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and keep them safe forever?

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you guys will know how much I adore animals, especially anthropomorphic animals - those that could walk, talk, and do the things that we humans normally do!
So imagine my delight when I saw that this book is available to read [and for free, I might add] via NetGalley.

So, what do I think of the story? I think it's waaaay tooo short. I wish Lois made it longer, gave the mice more adventures they could embark on, oh, the other possibilities! The story is quite straightforward, the mice are clearly unhappy about being tagged as pests, or rodents, and need to escape the great X [otherwise known as the exterminator].

I love the illustrations that were accompanying the book. With cute illustrations as these, and with characters that are just adorable, and so loveable, how could you not read this book? The supporting characters also provide bits of twists and turns here and there, and the mouse family sure knows how to work together to achieve a common goal. The narrative is beautifully written, and is appropriate for the young adult crowd. Wording is excellent too. This book is definitely different from the other Lowry book I read before ["The Giver"] but nevertheless, her transition has been excellent.




Available From: everywhere [starting March 21, 2011]!
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Book was: an ARC via NetGalley
Rating: Very Good! [4/5]

The book is divided into four parts: the first is an introduction to what the species is, the second on where it originated, the third on the cat behaviour and the fourth on what to do when you [or your parents] decide to get a cat for yourself.

This is quite informative, however, given that the target market is for children, seems to me that it is marketed to "convince" children to "convince" their parents to get them this cat breed. However, one must always be aware that getting pets is a responsibility, and if your pets don't behave as you expected, you have to deal with it and love it as your own.

What I like in the book is how the information has been presented. It was very clear and straight to the point. The pictures are okay too, the cat is cute, with its huge, blue eyes and fluffy fur!

Published: 2011

Available From: Amazon
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Book was: an ARC from NetGalley
Rating: It's okay, informative, photos are cute. [3/5]

Chrissie's Shell is a story about Chrissie, a turtle. She is living in a forest, and on her daily life, she encounters numerous critters and imagines what it would be like to be that type of animal. While she does that, she checks her shell to see if she managed to transform in the animal she was imagining about.

The illustrations are some of the cutest things ever. And as you know, I have a bias for all things animals, and all things cute so plus, plus for me. Those sympathetic round us totally do me in! Awww. I could easily go back to all the pages, even without reading the text, just looking at the pictures! Oh yes, it definitely brought me back to my childhood.

The colouring is brilliant they are very accurate with nature, and so eye-popping!

The story is good too. It shows how Chrissie was struggling to come to terms with her real self. The part that moved me the most was when Chrissie was talking to God about how he could make her into a real someone, and how she said her shell was empty and could she make her into some of the other creatures she had seen. Little did she knows that she is one unique creature, with her own traits and advantages in nature.

What I love is that this book teaches children to be comfortable in their own shell - in their own skin, so to speak. Of course there are times when we people would feel insecure about what we have and normally compare it with the others who may appear more blessed or lucky or superior than us, but each of us is unique, and I love this lesson. Children should learn this early on and not get on the bandwagon of the plasticity of everything. Sometimes you just need to look in yourself to find out what's perfect, and what you are, and that you're beautiful inside.

Published: 2010
Available From: Everywhere! Locally, I'm not sure though.
Publisher: Warner Press
Book was: an ARC from NetGalley
Rating: Such a cute book. I loved the illustrations! [5/5]