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Lead by example. Let your children see you reading for pleasure in your spare time.
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Summary: The summers family had more than a boat ride when their sunny day turned stormy. They ended up on a tropical island with their boat in a shambles. To learn more about this island, they split into two teams. Along the way they encountered ferocious creatures of every kind. And oh the noise! Will they ever make it back. This is a cross between the Lion and the Mouse and a monster story.
Type of Reading: bedtime story, family reading, anytime reading, read aloud book, elementary reader.
Recommended Age: read together: 3 to 7; read yourself: 9 to 12
Interest Level: 3 to 8
Reading Level: 5.4
Age of Child: Read with nearly 8-year-old child.
Little Kid Reaction: The grinning, menacing mountain on the front cover captured our child's interest, as did the brightly colored monsters inside. She thumbed through this several times trying to read it herself, and asked us to read it several times, too.
Big Kid Reaction: Nearly every legendary monster lives on this tropical island ... including the abominable snowman! I love picture book adventures and can suspend belief, but the weather changes as frequently as the monsters do. The "thorn in the paw" element also comes out of nowhere. Several of the monsters have unique names, and the author is thoughtful enough to include the phonetic pronunciation. Although there is suspense, there is nothing that will frighten kids or cause nightmares.
Pros: Brightly colored, grinning monsters make this a fun adventure to share.
Cons: The reading level is well beyond the interest level for this book. This is a story you are more likely to read with children than they will read themselves.
Borrow or Buy: Borrow. The colorful monsters make this fun to read and kids will enjoy the adventure. There are, however, stronger stories about island adventures or fables.
Educational Themes: This is a story meant to be shared "just because." That said, each of the creatures is described on the back end papers. Kids can have fun trying to draw them, or making up individual stories about them.
Notes: The publisher donated a copy of this book to the Reading Tub. This was an unsolicited donation.
Literary Categories: Fiction - picture book, adventure, fantasy
Date(s) Reviewed: August 2009
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