Review of "The Spectacular World of Waldorf: Mr. Waldorf Travels to the Wild State of Alaska," by Barbara Terry, Beth Ann Stifflemire and Vladimir Kirichenko

Review of

The Spectacular World of Waldorf: Mr. Waldorf Travels to the Wild State of Alaska, by Barbara Terry, Beth Ann Stifflemire and Vladimir Kirichenko ISBN 9781943276677

Five out of five stars

 Mr. Waldorf is a sentient canine with a desire for adventure and an inability to read without his spectacles. In this story, he travels to Alaska, the largest state in the United States and the one with the most scenic beauty.

 In the opening, Mr. Waldorf is enjoying the beauty of a glacier and the river that the runoff creates. His spectacles fall off, creating a “Where are they?” mini-game during the course of the book. They are found in several images, sometimes obvious and other times a bit more discreet. At the end, he finds his spectacles once again and sits down, leans against a tree and starts reading a book about Alaska.

 Most of what Mr. Waldorf does involves interaction with nature, including other sentient animals. There is little discussion about the people of Alaska, the only time other humans appear is when he visits an igloo village inhabited by native Inuit. However, the term “Eskimo” is used, which is considered derogatory by the native Inuit outside of Alaska, so there are people that will take offense.

 The level of the text is roughly that of a second grader and the images are colorful with clearly contrasting colors. There is a great deal of detail, including that in the facial expressions of the animal characters.

 This is an educational book with an understandable message that is a worthy addition to all school and personal libraries. 

This book was made available for free for review purposes.