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]

wBased on the novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, it tells of an alien little prince, who explores various planets across the universe and eventually lands himself on Earth. He meets all sorts of people and creatures along the way, and discovers more about their traits and their quirks, so to say.

Can I just say I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK?
I started this back in 2010, when I was quite busy with getting ready for Christmas and parties. And yet, when I was reading it, it made no impact whatsoever. But as I was finishing the book, I was feeling quite down, and yes, each and every passage outlined in the tale hits me, hard. I wanted to cry as I was reading each line, and seeing the pictures added to plethora of emotions that have hit me.

The illustrations is cute, a bit crude, and as much as I honestly prefer the illustrations from the original book, this one would do. As I haven't read the original novel yet *gasp* I don't know how many parts have been removed in order to make this more interesting and more compact in a sense. Maybe once I've read the original, I could comment on what diferences there are between the graphic novel and the original.

I'm still a bit teary-eyed and I honestly don't know what else to write. It is just a brilliant novel, and this graphic novel version would probably interest the children who don't really like reading. Pick this book up [or the original novel, for that matter] and just try to read between the lines at what the quotes mean.

The original book would be discussed for our December 2011 book club discussion and I can't wait to partake in it!

Published: 2010
Available From: Everywhere! Locally, I'm not sure though.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book was: an ARC from NetGalley
Read it if: Just read it! It's my first book of 2011 and oh my gosh, it just blew me away.
Rating: I loved it, one of my favourite reads of the year [5/5]

Ilustrated by MiniKim and coloured by Pop. Nola's Worlds # 1 follows the life of Nola York-Stein. Her age isn't specifically said in the book, but looks like she is a tween or a teenager. She lives mostly alone, her parents are divorced, and her mom is a workaholic. One boring day at school [she was late again!], she met Damiano and his sister, and became intrigued at their life. She was convinced that these siblings are spies and gets to know both of them.

Review: The illustrations are very, very cute, although what I loved the most was the colours! They're so vibrant and eye-catching! As to the story, well, there's some open gaps that leave me thinking "huh?" and should have better explained how one character ended up in one place, and why they decided to go there in the first place rather than the reader trying to figure out everything, considering this book is marketed towards children. If they provided a bit more fluidity on the settings and the actions of the characters then it would have made this book so much better! So, yes, I guess the transitioning of the story would be a good thing to work on in the next few volumes.

However, on the story side, I do appreciate the fact that Nola is from a broken family, and explains a bit on how her mother isn't always at home [who is constantly engrossed in work], and her father is always away, and him giving her presents just to make up for the fact that he's never there. I haven't read much children's books wherein the main character is from a broken family [except maybe for the Princess Diaries, which I'm currently reading right now]. I guess it's a good tale for some kids who are from real-life broken families to know that they're not alone and no, the break-up is not their fault.

Illustrations - there are some scenes where I lost Nola, because she's in chibi mode or her appearance has completely changed but I guess it all depends on how the illustrator would interpret a certain scene in the tale! To each their own, I guess.

So, on to the summary.

Summary:


Published: November 1, 2010
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Available from: Everywhere!
Read it if: you want to read a new manga of sorts
Book was: provided by NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group
Rating: So-So [3/5]

It's Valentine's Day and Ruby won't let anything spoil the celebration! In this follow-up to the popular Love, Ruby Valentine, Ruby's favorite day of the year rolls around again, and she and Lovebird work feverishly to plan the perfect party for everyone in Heartland. But when Valentine's Day arrives, an unexpected snowstorm threatens to ruin all of Ruby's plans. Will Ruby find a way to save the day, or will everyone in Heartland have to wait until next year to celebrate?

**Book Information from NetGalley**

Another children's book for me to read! Yay! Somehow if I read children's books during lag times at the office, I tend to be more relaxed and hyper and happy! Guess it's a stress-reliver for me. And I could review and preview new children's books too! Whee.

Okay, more serious stuff now: the review. I loved this book because the main character has the same name as myself - Ruby! Though the book is catered to elder children [ie Ruby has her own house and has the means to plan and prepare her own party], I also love that Ruby has a constant companion in the book - an anthropomorgic bird named LoveBird, who can talk and help Ruby out in her day to day life.
The book is very simple, yet the colours are soo striking, and would be a favourite for young girls - almost all the pages are coloured pink! How girly and cute! The book also provides scenarios on what happens in real life, and as all children's books go, a lesson at the end of the tale which everyone would enjoy and appreciate. I won't tell the lesson here though, just that you need to read the book to find out ;)
 
Can I just add that I love Lovebird? He/She seems to be one of the most loveable pets ever, and he knows how to talk too! How cool is that?
 
Summary:


Published: November 1, 2010
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Available from: Everywhere!
Read it if: you want to teach your child a valuable lesson that they could use in real life; oh and read it for the pictures!!
Book was: provided by NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group
Rating: Loves [5/5]