My thanks go to Net Galley and 8th Circle Press for the review copy. This book is for sale now. When I saw the cover of this children�s book, I thought it had strong possibilities. It�s original, and I...
My thanks go to Net Galley and 8th Circle Press for the review copy. This book is for sale now.
When I saw the cover of this children�s book, I thought it had strong possibilities. It�s original, and I thought it was conceptually strong, so I read it. Having done so, I have come away underwhelmed.
For a book like this, a takeoff on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, two things are important. We need resonant, bold, eye-catching artwork to engage the little person that is reading it, or to whom it is being read, and we need a regular cadence. We�re supposed to be singing this book to the same tune as the song, and while the text certainly rhymes, it�s nowhere near in pocket. It�s awkward as hell, actually. Get out your metronome and try it, I dare you.
And as for the artwork, it can best be described as minimalist. When I saw Mothman on the cover, I was thrilled. Kids would love it, I thought. But that�s basically what�s on every single page. Mothman, plus a small amount of unengaging other stuff. There�s no bold artwork at all, and very little art of any kind. The illustration of our protagonist is the entire show, over and over.
I�ve since learned that this is a series. I haven�t seen any of the other books, but I�m going to guess they are more of the same. In fact, if I continue writing much longer, I will talk myself into dropping the rating to 2.5 stars instead of 3.
It feels lazy to me; it didn�t come close to meeting my expectations. When I took the galley, I thought that if this book was as good as I hoped it might be, I would purchase a copy of it for my grandsons. I�m not going to do that now, and if I won�t, I cannot recommend you buy it either.
