Sunday, June 24, 2018

Mini Reviews [8]

Dormouse and His Seven Beds by Susanna Isern,
Marco Soma (Illustrator), Ben Dawlatly (Translator)
Synopsis (via Goodreads): 
Dormouse wakes up in a different bed each day.
In Rabbit's carrot box,
in Robin's tie drawer,
and even on Deer's antlers.

But why doesn't Dormouse sleep in his own bed? 

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I received an ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought Dormouse and His Seven Beds was an interesting story about loneliness, and what someone might do to avoid it. Dormouse is afraid to sleep alone, so he chooses a different friends' house to sleep in each night, but they are shocked and a little annoyed by his sudden appearance.

Eventually, they tell Dormouse he can no longer show up in their homes and that he needs to remain in his own bed at night. Dormouse starts to explain, but the others refuse to listen or even let him speak at all. They treated him harshly because they saw his actions as an inconvenience, and instead of asking him what was wrong or how they could help, they turn him away.

This causes Dormouse to make poor choices and his friends have to come to his rescue. They only do this once they realize he wasn't in anyone's home the next morning, and then discover that he wasn't in his either. In the end, everyone is happy and understanding, but I wish there had been more of a lesson within the story. I believe it was supposed to address loneliness, but I was focused on how selfish his friends were being. They cared more about the inconvenience than they did about their friend.

Tiger vs. Nightmare by Emily Tetri
Expected publication: November 6th 2018
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Tiger is a very lucky kid: she has a monster living under her bed. Every night, Tiger and Monster play games until it’s time for lights out. Of course, Monster would never try to scare Tiger—that’s not what best friends do.

But Monster needs to scare someone…it’s a monster, after all. So while Tiger sleeps, Monster scares all of her nightmares away. Thanks to her friend, Tiger has nothing but good dreams. But waiting in the darkness is a nightmare so big and mean that Monster can’t fight it alone. Only teamwork and a lot of bravery can chase this nightmare away.

In this charming graphic novel for young readers, cartoonist Emily Tetri proves that unlikely best friends can be an unbeatable team, even against the scariest monsters.


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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. 

We loved this! Tiger vs. Nightmare was an amazing story about friendship and conquering your fears. My son has only recently started believing that monsters lurk in the dark corners of his room, so this book was very applicable to him right now.

However, instead of Monster being something Tiger is afraid of, Monster is her friend that lives underneath her bed. They play together every evening (her parents think she has an imaginary friend), and Monster keeps the nightmares away. They have a solid friendship and a good nighttime routine, until the night a nightmare gets through.

I don't want to give anything away, but eventually the two of them have to work together to conquer their fears, and they end up becoming better friends because of it. Tiger couldn't rely on Monster to do all of the work, she had to learn to face her fears and be there for her friend.

Tiger vs. Nightmare might look like a long book, but it's a quick read with a wonderful story. It's definitely one we're going to be adding to our shelves.

16 comments:

  1. Tiger vs Nightmare looks AWESOME. Love the sound of it!

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    1. We've already read my review copy a few times! I hate that it's not going to be published until later this year. We need it for our shelves, lol.

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    1. I know! They never really let him explain himself either. They always seem to talk for him or cut him off when he tries to speak. It was frustrating. I wanted him to be able to explain himself and for us to see some resolution, but that isn't what happens.

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  3. Tiger vs. Nightmare sounds do cool! I might pick it up no matter how many people stare at me at the bookstore just because I like cool illustrated books! Great post!

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    1. Thanks! Why would people stare at you at the bookstore? I love to read children's books! It's just a bonus that I also have kids to read them to. <3

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    2. Some people give me the judgement eyes. Just because I like children's books. It's scary. LOL

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    3. Then those people are missing out! Children's books teach some of the best lessons. You do you, Nicole!

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  4. Tiger vs. Nightmare looks so cute, and sounds exactly like the kind of story I liked to read to my kids when they were younger.

    Have a great week. - Katie

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    1. I've only recently started reviewing children's books, but I think it's because my kids are at that age so they're relevant. I'm not sure it's something I'll keep doing once they're older (still a few years), but I'm enjoying it right now! Plus, I can always keep these books and pass them on to their children in the future. <3

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  5. How cute are these?! I'm particularly drown to Tiger Vs. Nightmare and would love to read that to my kids!

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    1. It was easily a new favorite! We've already read it a few times, and cannot wait to buy a physical copy for our shelves. My son keeps telling me he wants to hold it himself (it's only on the iPad right now, so he can't).

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  6. Aw, Tiger Vs. Nightmare sounds so cute! I love the little twist about the Monster being a friend. That first one seems like it could have done better with the lesson - poor little mouse and his selfish friends. :(

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I feel like Dormouse was supposed to be the character having problems, but he barely speaks throughout the book. It's like the other characters think/speak for him, which was frustrating.

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  7. I'll have to get a couple copies of Tiger vs. Nightmare for some little ones I know. I love buying them books, so it's nice to discover new ones.

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    1. We love giving books as gifts (and even randomly), so I understand! Tiger vs. Nightmare is definitely one to buy! <3

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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless