This Rock Is Mine! by Kaye Umansky

The second I saw the two frogs on the cover and the lovely cattails, I knew I had to read this book. Telling by the title, it's going to involve some stubborn attitudes and arguments, but I'm willing to bet this is handled wonderfully and even with a spice of humor. That also means that there will be a great message at the end, and the blurb does mention it hits upon friendship. 

So off we go to see how much this frogs splash!

(Note: This was so cute and fun! I'm going to slide it onto my possible Favorites of 2024 list just because I found the weaving between text and illustrations so well thought out.) 

THIS ROCK IS MINE!

by Kaye Umansky

Illustrated by Alice McKinley

Alison Green Books

Picture Book

35 pages

ages 4 to 8

Friendship wins the day in this fabulously funny quarrel! Two frogs sit on an ordinary little rock. But . . . uh-oh! Both frogs think it's their rock - and they really don't want to share!

The frogs fight and squabble furiously. But when a hungry heron swoops down, both frogs realise it's time to find another rock . . . together!

Kaye Umansky's brilliantly simple rhyming story shows how two grumpy frogs go from fighting . . . to friendship (with lots of laughter along the way.)

Alice McKinley's hilarious illustrations bring to life every twist and turn of this wonderfully witty little drama.

Written in absolutely perfect rhyme, this story is a joy to read aloud. Every parent and child will identify with these squabbling frogs. An excellent (and very funny) lesson in how to resolve a quarrel! Kaye Umansky is one of the UK's best-loved children's authors. She is a brilliant comic writer, and is the award-winning creator of the bestselling Pongwiffy fiction series. Her superb rhyming picture books have echoes of Dr Seuss.

Alice McKinley's illustrations are full of warmth and humour, and packed with clever details to spot.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON    /     B&N   

MY TIDBITS

Two frogs clash to prove how ridiculous some arguments are, especially when friendship might not be far away.

Two frogs are enjoying a day on a rock in the pond, each one unaware of the other's presence thanks to a thick tuft of grass...that is, until they notice each other. Unready to share the moment of peace, they both lay claim to the rock in a ridiculous argument which builds and builds. That draws attention from other pond visitors, and not in a good way. Now, the two frogs have to deal with a bigger problem than sharing a rock.

This book left a huge smile on our faces. The frogs are utterly over-the-top as they throw huge fits about who has the right to sit on the rock. The argument and very heated attitudes leave a sense of uncomfortableness, which paves the path for the message at the end and has it ringing that much more true. So, extra kudos to that weave! But even when the frogs are in their heated back-and-forth, there is more than a little humor to keep it balanced and fun.

The illustrations are handled very well. Not only are the scenes grabbing with the colors, details, and style, but they play with the situation in ways which guarantee more than a few giggles. The story flows nicely in the lightly, rhymed text and the lively dialogue between the frogs, but the illustrations add richness and delight. They lay hints and layers to the plot presented in the text to round off the story in all the right ways.

It's silly, lively, holds a tad bit of tension, and brings across a valuable message about friendship and being less selfish.

And here she is...

Kaye Umansky has written several books for children. She lives in North London, England

The Magician Next Door by Rachel Chivers Khoo

The second I read this title and saw the cover, I knew I had to read this one. I'm hoping for a little magic, some nonsense, adventure, and simply an enjoyable read. Let's see if this tale holds everything I hope it will or not.

THE MAGICIAN NEXT DOOR

by Rachel Chivers Khoo

Illustrated by Alice McKinley

Walker Books

Middle Grade Fantasy

144 pages

ages 7 to 9

A magical tale from the author of The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice, with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout.“A charming story brimming with magic and wonder." Hannah Gold

Late one night a flying house crash-lands in ten-year-old Callie's garden. It is the home of magician Winnifred and all of her magical artefacts. Winnifred asks for Callie's help finding her lost Wanderdust – until she realizes it is Callie's sadness that is causing her malfunctioning magic. With Winnifred's most precious magical possessions at risk from malicious pixies and dangerous giants, can Callie and her friend Sam find the Wanderdust in time to save the magician?

GOODREADS    /     AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Whimsical fantasy mixes with gentle adventure to form a magical read, which lets imagination take flight.

Callie wishes she could just go back to London, but her father claims that his new job allows him more time to spend with her and relaxes life in general. But she misses her friends and her mom. While gazing out of the window one evening, a sudden noise is followed by the short appearance of a house standing upside down in the hard. A woman appears in the window, and then, all is gone, but a strange turtle-shelled shingle from the roof is on the lawn, and a huge crater has formed where the house once was. Her dad says it was a meteor, but she knows better. When a note asking for help appears in her room, the adventure begins.

This read snuggles up in the area of chapter book readers sliding into lower middle grade reads. The font is larger, the spacing generous, and the illustrations add even more lightness. The plot jogs along at a nice, steady pace and stays mostly action orientated. There are spouts of deeper, emotional moments as Callie misses her mother and friends, which do lean toward the middle grade direction more, but the rest of the tale is fairly straight-forward and playful to still embrace the chapter book reader end.

As for the story, it's cute, imaginative, and offers just enough tension to make it fun. It's never said why the parents separated or why Callie is living with her father and seems to have no visitation rights with her mum. Which as an adult, seemed odd, but young readers won't spend much thought on that. She's more concerned about the absence of her best friend, and while this does weave into the story as well as influence the plot, it also jabs in here and there to concentrate on the adventure. The neighbor boy adds personality, which gives great balance to the magician's, and the magic is simply enjoyable. 

This book sets the stage for what could be an entire series of adventures, and I'm sure it would be much-loved.

And here she is...

Rachel Chivers Khoo was born in Belfast in 1990. She spent much of her childhood reading books from her local library. When she was nine, she promised an invisible tiger that one day she would write her own stories. Rachel studied English Literature at Trinity College, Oxford, and has a Masters in Creative Writing from Queen's University, Belfast. She worked in book publishing before writing her debut book, The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice. Rachel lives in London with her husband, two young sons and far too many books.