Review of "The Underground Dance," by Tony Mitton

 Review of

The Underground Dance, by Tony Mitton ISBN 0763567345

Three out of five stars

Could have been a great book

 This book could have been an excellent book for children, the problem is one great flaw. The basic premise is to describe creatures and their actions that take place underground. From the human miner to the mole to the subway train and the human attendants to worms, seeds and rabbits. All of that is educational and entertaining.

 However, many of the pages have collections of bones, specifically human femurs and others of appendages. They are collected in small piles and due to the numbers in those collections, the indication is that are from more than one human. There is no reference to the bones in the text, so there appears to be no explicit reason for their inclusion. Specifically in a book for children. Other than that, this book would be very suitable for reading to children. If that is done, the reader will have to be able to explain the purpose of the bones.

Review of "The Wolf’s Story," by Brenda Parkes

 Review of

The Wolf’s Story, by Brenda Parkes ISBN 0763567477

Five out of five stars

Great modification of the classic story

 The story of the wolf and the three little pigs is a classic story for children, yet the main point of the story is often lost. The pigs that built their houses out of straw and sticks were in fact lazy and it was the pig that built his out of bricks that was the responsible one. When danger threatens, the first two run to the third for the protection of his solidly built house. This is an important lesson in building well and for the future.

 This book is an entertaining modification of that basic story. In this case, the wolf is the owner of a home improvement company and when he destroys the houses of straw and sticks, he is simply demonstrating the flaws in their construction techniques. Character witnesses from other fairy tales also give their testimony on behalf of the wolf.

 The large size of the book makes this an excellent choice for reading circles where someone reads the book to a group of young children. The images and the text can be seen for some distance. The form of the text is that of groups of four lines with basic rhyming of at least the second and fourth lines. If you are looking for books that are entertaining and catch the eye, this one is an excellent choice.

Review of "Tales of the Hoofengoofers!" by Alan Lance Andersen

 Review of

Tales of the Hoofengoofers! by Alan Lance Andersen

Five out of five stars

Stories of little people of the forests and meadows

 Hoofengoofers are like fairies and elves, in that they live in the wild, are very small (about 17 inches tall) and the men have long beards. They are also magical, capable of delivering valuable items to the humans that they like or take pity on. The author is a native of Iowa, so the location context is rural Iowa. As a lifelong resident of Iowa, I found the references to familiar locations pleasant.

 Given the powers of the Hoofengoofers, the stories are very similar to those of European vintage featuring faeries and elves. They appear in dreams and reveal their presence when needed. These stories will enthrall children, they can be considered very lengthy bedtime stories as there is always a happy ending for the good people.

 It you are looking for some stories of little magical people that are a little bit different, then this is the book for you.

Review of "The Katzenjammer Kids: Early Strips in Full Color," by Rudolph Dirks

 Review of

The Katzenjammer Kids: Early Strips in Full Color, by Rudolph Dirks ISBN 0486230058

Three out of five stars

Exaggerated behavior, exaggerated punishment

 The Katzenjammer Kids was a comic strip that started in December of 1897 and featured two very unruly children named Hans and Fritz. The dialog was a form of pidgin English. For example, on page 14 there is the dialog balloon, “Dot’s just like a woman! She had to go und tell!” Hans and Fritz are very bad, doing things like cutting the bottom off a hot air balloon so only the sides of the basket go up, cutting the legs of a chair so that it collapses and putting a cat in a large bowl of dough.

 They never get away with it and their punishment is extreme. They are frequently kicked by an adult in their backsides and most of the two-page short stories end with them getting a major spanking that sometimes includes a stout board.

 This is definitely humor that is based on an ethnic cliché and is very dated. From the name and the dialog, it is clear that the family is German, and the cliché was that German parents were extremely strict and quick to implement strong corporal punishment. Therefore, this book must be read as a history lesson regarding what was considered acceptable humor at the start of the twentieth century.

Review of "The Cat That Was Nothing But Trouble," by Anne Toole

 Review of

The Cat That Was Nothing But Trouble, by Anne Toole ISBN 9781478797432

Five out of five stars

How the old pet views the new one

 Lee is a small white puppy that is living an idyllic life. He has his toys, food and all the attention of the adults in the house. His world is uprooted when his Mom encountered what she thought was a stray cat while she was out walking. Feeling sorry for it, she brought it home and began feeding it. Intimidated by the new “beast,” Lee is uncertain as to what to do.

 When the cat engages in mischief and damages things, Lee is the one that gets the blame, which sends him into a depressive state. Things continue to go downhill until the joyous day when a man knocks on the door and tells Mom that he is looking for his cat named Sweetie Pie. He calls her the best cat in the world and wonders if she has seen it. When the cat hears the man’s voice it runs to him with joy and the last sight Lee has of the cat is when it is being carried away and out of his life.

 The story is expressed in rhyming form with the general pattern being the even lines rhyme with the line preceding it. The level of the prose is that of the middle of elementary school. It is a solid story that contains a valuable lesson to children regarding the acquisition of a second pet. While the children may be excited about getting the new pet, the one with seniority may have a contrary opinion.

Review of "Classics Illustrated: Twenty Years After," by Alexandre Dumas

 Review of

Classics Illustrated: Twenty Years After, by Alexandre Dumas

Five out of five stars

Synopsis of a novel not widely known

 Nearly everyone has heard of the novel, “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas, but few know that there were in fact six novels featuring the D'Artagnan character. They form a chronology and the second novel in the series after “The Three Musketeers” is “Twenty Years After.”

 Much has changed in the lives of D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis in the twenty years since the events chronicled in the first novel. Athos has returned to his estate, Porthos has married the widow of a lawyer and Aramis is now a priest. When D'Artagnan becomes involved with political intrigue, he seeks the aid of his friends with the goal being to serve the queen currently acting as regent, Queen Anne of Austria.

 The plot is complex, with former friends and enemies joining forces and splitting. It is a great story of adventure and intrigue over the French throne. The four main characters are once again fighting on the same side and are honorable men that keep their word.

 This comic is a synopsis of the novel and covers the essentials of the story. It is a good introduction, complete enough that it could serve as a primer in a high school English or literature class. While some deride the use of comic books as educational tools, I am one that is in favor of any way that can possibly entice young people to study the classics. This comic is an excellent tool to be used in that endeavor.

Review of "True Tales of Animal Heroes," by Allan Zullo

 Review of

True Tales of Animal Heroes, by Allan Zullo, ISBN 9780439662130

Five out of five stars

Admittedly, embellished for drama, still great true stories

There are eight stories in this collection, and each deals with an animal that intervened to either warn or save a human from grave danger. The creatures are dogs, cats, a horse, dolphins and a talking parrot. My favorite is when dolphins intervene to save a girl from being attacked by a shark. There is mention of the famous dolphin known as Pelorus Jack. It was a Risso’s dolphin that roamed in the French Pass, a very dangerous stretch of water. Jack was known as an accurate guide for ships to traverse the pass, as it would swim with the ship and guide it through the pass. It was so well known that if a ship arrived to go through the pass and Jack was not there, the ship would stop and wait. No ship escorted by Jack was ever lost.

 Some of the stories are those that have been repeated, the animal that wakes humans when there is a fire, dogs that dive in water to save a drowning human and a cat that defended a fellow pet dog from the attack of a vicious dog. They are heartwarming stories that will release moisture from your tear ducts.