Book Review: Croc Capers (Bindi Wildlife Adventures #7) by Bindi Irwin and Chris Kunz

Reading Level: Ages 7 and up
Publication Date: August 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Series: 7th in a series
Acquisition: I received a free copy for review from the publisher

Summary:

The next installment of this hit series features stories that are inspired and co-created by Bindi Irwin, daughter of the iconic wildlife expert, Steve Irwin.

Bindi, Robert and Terri Irwin are on their annual crocodile-tagging trip in the Cape York Peninsula, the home of the extraordinary Steve Irwin wildlife Reserve. When Bindi and Robert chance upon a camp site set up by a father and daughter behaving like two fish out of water, they soon discover the real reason behind their trip to the reserve. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
The 7th book in a series for young readers, Croc Capers takes us into the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Australia. Bindi Irwin and her younger brother Robert are looking forward to their annual estuarine crocodile research trip but their excitement is quickly replaced with worry when they stumble upon a land developer's campsite.

What follows can only be described as a lesson with heart. With a very cute set of characters, I was fully captivated by Bindi's story from page 1. A perfect read for young nature lovers.

Final verdict:
Easy to read and understand with very likable characters, I can't wait for my little one to be old enough to read this series. Croc Capers is book 7 but I'm already on the hunt for books 1-6 for my shelves.

Also, I absolutely loved the Animal Fact Files at the end of the book. I learned things about the saltwater crocodile, the palm cockatoo and the goanna that I never knew before. (ok, honestly, I had never even heard of a goanna before reading this book!)

Having grown up watching Steve Irwin, it warms my heart to see that his daughter's passion for nature and animals is just as great as his was.

A great book and what I can only assume is a great series for the young readers in your life.

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

Books in the Wildlife Adventures Series:
#1 Trouble at The Zoo
#2 Rescue!
#3 Bushfire!
#4 Camouflage
#5 A What of  a Time
#6 Roar!
#7 Croc Capers

Goodreads / IndieBound

Picture Book Reviews: Up Dog and Up Cat by Hazel Hutchins

2 really cute and fun books for young readers from Annick Press

Written by Hazel Hutchins, illustrated by Fanny

Up Dog 
My little one really liked this book as she was able to read most of the words herself. She did a really good job with sounding out the ones she wasn't sure of. The repetition of the words really helped!
Up Dog is a really cute story about a silly puppy. My daughter thought it was really funny how the puppy got so dirty and made such a mess that his owner had to do all the clean 'ups'. The last page was her favorite because the puppy got lots of snuggles!

Up Cat
Lot of cute cat antics in this one. Simple words used in simple sentences made reading this one with my 5 years old fun and educational too. She was able to read a lot of the words herself - the perfect book for little readers in my opinion. We both really liked how the puppy from Up Dog made an appearance on one of the pages of Up Cat.

Received both for review from NetGalley

Book Review: The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Fung-Fu Cavemen of the Future by George Beard and Harold Hutchins

Publication Date: August 2010
Acquisition: received a copy for review

Summary:

In this all-new graphic novel, George Beard and Harold Hutchins present the sensational saga of two silly cave boys named Ook and Gluk. Ook and Gluk have a pretty awesome life growing up together in Caveland, Ohio, in 500,001 BC-even though they are always getting in trouble with their nasty leader, Big Chief Goppernopper. But Ook and Gluk's idyllic life takes a turn for the terrible when an evil corporation from the future invades their quiet, prehistoric town. When Ook, Gluk, and their little dinosaur pal, Lily, are pulled through a time portal to the year 2222 AD, they discover that the world of the future is even worse than the devastated one they came from. Fortunately, they find a friend in Master Wong, a martial arts instructor who trains them in the ways of kung fu, so that they may one day return home and make things right again. And, like the other Captain Underpants books,The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future features the world's cheesiest animation technology;Flip-O-Rama, in every chapter.

My Thoughts:
A really fun read. I've always loved graphic novels and I know that if this book was around when I was a kid, I would have loved it.

Reading it as an adult, it was a little hard getting past the intentional grammatical and spelling errors. It's not really a criticism but, personally, I think I would have liked this book more if the characters weren't depicted as talking in 'caveman language'. Saying things like "Me think we made new friends" and "Maybe we drop bees on hims head?" got to me after a while. The spelling also was a little trying at times. BUT these features are intentionally there as a means to annoy grown-ups so I would say, it's a success! :)

With that said, I really did like the story. Ook and Gluk really do travel to the future, learn Fung-Fu and save their world. It was a pretty exciting adventure.

The flow of the graphics worked really well and like the summary says, each chapter contains Flip-O-Rama! A flip the pages really fast to see a cool 'moving' picture, sort of thing. It added even more fun into the overall story for me.

I think Ook and Gluk would make a good gift for young readers in your lives. I know I'll be holding on to my copy for my little one. Lots of laughs, adventures, dinosaurs, Kung-Fu and time travel - what more could a kid ask for!

Overall Rating:

3.5 / 5 Stars

Linkage Love:
Scholastic
Goodreads

Book Review: Hide!!! By Jeff Foxworthy, Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman

Age: 4-7
Publication Date: October 2010

Acquisition: received finished copy for review

Summary:

On a Saturday morning

Like many before

The kids were all restless.

In fact, they were bored.

It had finally stopped raining

After nearly a week

Then they had an idea,

'Let's play hide and seek!'

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy tells the story of a neighborhood hide and seek game and invites readers to join in! With vivid illustrations and a hearty dose of silliness, each page includes a hidden child, a seeker, and a whole bunch of other hidden objects for kids to find.

Can you help Rachel Green find Sue, along with one raccoon, two spoons, three mops, four flip flops.

Hide!!! is guaranteed to charm readers of all ages. (from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:
My daughter is 4 and nearly every day she tells me how she can't wait until she is old enough to read. (How happy am I!?!). Before that day comes, and hopefully even after, she very much enjoys being read to. I read Hide!! to her the day it arrived and she absolutely loved it!

I have to say, although I know who Jeff Foxworthy is and I know he has written a few books, I never thought I would love a children's book written by him so much. I was especially sceptial when I heard reviews and press releases comparing his writing style to Dr. Seuss. I mean, Dr. Seuss is pretty much my idol - no one could compare to him!

Was I very pleasantly surprised? Yes! The rhyming prose, the overall story, yes, I was reminded of Dr. Seuss. Also, Hide!!! is more then just a really good story. Each two page spread has hidden objects to find. Seriously, my whole family was in on the action! Pages 10 and 11 were expeccially tricky but after a while we managed to find 1 Raccoon, 2 Spoons, 3 Mops, 4 Flip Flops, 5 Monkey Eyes and 6 Butterflies!

This book would make a great gift for any young ones in your life. My daughter has proudly claimed my copy as hers and insists that it sit on her bookcase ('Not yours Mama!').

I highly recommend this one to kids ages 4 and up and to anyone who loves reading to children - you'll have a blast!

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

Linkage Love:
Beaufortbooks
Author's Website
Illustrator's Website
Goodreads