Today's read is a collection of stories, which I'm hoping will be perfect for story times and bedtime reads. The intended age group is a little wide spread, and that's something I'm always a little skeptical about, but I'm open minded and willing to see how it works out. After all, the cover is cute and promises wholesome adventures with a fun pair of mice. Plus, the reviews have been very good so far.
In other words, the only way to know if it's worth a peek or not is to open it up and find out. So, let's do that!
TOOFER & THE GIBLET
by Paulette LeBlanc
Illustrated Dmitriy Morozov
Dragon Horse Publications
Children's Fantasy
94 pages
ages 6 to 18
Toofer is reserved, thoughtful, and observant, while The Giblet is outgoing and sociable. This series is filled with clever adventures and stand-alone stories and invites readers to re-discover their own world. At the heart of Toofer & The Giblet is a deep friendship, revealed through the innocence and wisdom of its characters. On the surface, these books will teach children to value friendship, prize honesty, and act with integrity. Still, I believe the real power of Toofer & The Giblet besides, the ability to amuse, lies in their appeal to teachers, parents, and grandparents. These are clever adventures and stand-alone stories, but at the heart of this series is a deep kinship between two opposites, who are simultaneously innocent and wise.
Each dazzling illustration throughout the series, brings the characters of Toofer & The Giblet to life as they impart wisdom both to adults and children without preaching. These stories effortlessly reveal the subtle humor brought about by the growing storyline. Each tale travels deeper into the nature of the characters, evolving along with the narrative until the reader regards them as friends.
MY TIDBITS
This pair of mice never has a boring moment as one, The Giblet, excitedly gets into all sorts of situations, while the other, Toofer, tries to keep everything as grounded as possible.
Toofer and The Giblet are best friends and have lived together for a long time. Still, their personalities are very different. The Giblet is ready to meet everyone and take on any adventure which comes his way, while Toofer is calm, wise, and tends to stay at home to enjoy a quiet life. In ten very different tales, the friendship proves to be golden and true even when little opinion differences happen. Some tales pack messages about life, while others are simply fun. All invite in with a touch of animal fantasy while offering a warming backdrop of various animals and gentle adventures.
The Table of Contents at the assists in finding the desired story quickly. Each one is only a few pages long, making them great for a short read-aloud in cosier or group settings. Each story carries its own direction as The Giblet encounters all sorts of animals (from a mole to a monkey to a wallabee), and each one brings an unique personality and twist. The stories can be read in any order but do seem to line-up well if also read in order...although I'm not sure why since they don't truly build on each other. The text does work vocabulary skills, so those wanting to read it on their own do need a good grip on their word skills. This works nicely for lower middle graders to pick up for short tales, too. The humor weaves in at different levels. Sometimes, it's simple, while other times, there's a bit of deeper cleverness to draw a smile. Young readers won't necesarily catch all of it, but older ones will see the pokes and side thoughts that Toofer builds in when talking with The Giblet. The artwork is also lovely and draws into the world with care. The only thing which pulled me out was The Giblet as a name, but that's just a tiny aspect.
It's a lovely collection of stories for animal adventure fans, who enjoy an amazing friendship, humor, and a little bit of wisdome along the way.
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