BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens

Today Caramel reviews Wampum Belts of the Iroquois, a book first published in 1999 by Tehanetorens. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: Today you are reviewing a nonfiction book. It has been a while since you last reviewed a nonfiction book, no?

Caramel: Not really. I reviewed America As It Happened: A Moment-by-Moment Journey Through Time, From Prehistory to the Present Day only a couple weeks ago, and that was nonfiction.

S: True. Okay, so this book is also nonfiction. Tell me a bit about what it is about.

C: It’s about the wampum belts, which denote or commemorate laws, treaties and commitments. The Iroquois people make them and wear them, and the book talks about a lot of different examples of these belts.

S: That sounds really interesting. Tell me more.

C: The book is about a school project. The person who wrote the book is the teacher, and his students at the Onkwehonwe Neha School worked with beads and other traditional materials to make replicas of important wampum belts. The book has a lot of different types of these belts. And the student who made each belt poses with the belt so you can see them too. They are really cool. I only wish the pictures were in color.

S: But even though they are in black and white, the pictures already show how many different types of wampum belts there are, right?

C: Yes. And for each belt, besides the photo of the child who made the belt, there is a lot of information about the belt. For example there is a belt called the Hiawatha or the ayonwatha belt, which shows the union between five nations (the five tribes making up the Iroquois), and looks like a wide dark belt with two white squares on either side of either a heart or a tree, which represents one of each nation, and they are connected by a line that symbolizes their union. It is neat how it symbolizes the five nations coming together.

S: I know that in a lot of traditional societies where rugs and carpets are woven, the people who weave them put in a lot of information into their work. These belts remind me of that kind of a tradition, a way to memorialize important events in objects that can also be used.

C: Yes, they are practical and useful but also beautiful. I really liked them.

Caramel is reading Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens. — Caramel is reading *Wampum Belts of the Iroquois* by Tehanetorens.

S: Also these specific belts were able to connect the students who made them with their traditions and histories. It must have been a very engaging school project.

C: Yes, it is kind of like the ofrenda I made at school for my maternal grandfather. It was a way for me to learn more about him, because you know, I never met him, and when I was making it, you told me a lot more stories about him.

S: Yes, kind of like that. Of course that was more about your personal history, rather than the history of a whole people, but still you are right that it hopefully allowed you to connect a bit more deeply with someone from your past.

C: Yes.

S: So Caramel, what made you want to review this book?

C: You know I love fact-ful books and this one is definitely full of facts. And it has lots of interesting pictures. And the kids holding their belts look so serious and proud, it is really neat to look at them. So I wanted to tell other young bunnies about it because the book is really neat.

S: That is fair.

C: There are also a lot of hand-drawn pictures in there, and those are cool too. Almost every page has some picture and so the book is really easy to read.

S: Yes, the pictures make it so engaging, you are right.

C: Of course.

S: Okay, Caramel, so maybe this is a good time to wrap up the review.

C: Again it is a school night, so I agree.

S: So let us do just that. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens and learning about this interesting tradition of the Iroquois. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Wampum Belts of the Iroquois* by Tehanetorens and learning about this interesting tradition of the Iroquois.

Marshmallow reviews The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud

Today Marshmallow reviews The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud, first published in 2025.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like cartoons, art, or graphic novels, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Makayla’s mind is always overflowing with new ideas for stories but Howard is the one who keeps passing her doodles during math class. One day, after they finally get caught by their algebra teacher, they decide to make their own comic book. When they meet up at their middle school’s library after school, Makayla reveals her master plan: they are going to form a club for the other students in their school who want to be cartoonists too. With the help of the kind librarian, they print out their posters and wait for the next day to see if anyone shows up.

Luckily, someone does! Art is an agender artist who loves “making mistakes” and can’t wait to make them in another new forum. The three of them become friends quickly and can’t wait to start making comic books. Unfortunately, they are extremely puzzled and ask the librarian what the “right” way to proceed is. To their surprise, she informs them that there is no right way at all. Through this newfound freedom, they proceed to produce numerous silly but fun short comics.

They also are able to welcome in a new member: Lynda. She’d been in the library since day one, drawing quietly in a corner, but had been too nervous to show anyone her art. Since she focused so heavily on the mistakes she made, she was too scared to show any part of her art at all.

As the story progresses, each of the characters’ artistic struggles are revealed and remediated through a group effort. The Cartoonists Club is a heartwarming, inspiring story perfect for any and all young artists interested in drawing. It is the ideal guide for young bunnies looking to find and create communities much like the one in this book!

Marshmallow is reading The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud. — Marshmallow is reading *The Cartoonists Club* by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think The Cartoonists Club is a very cute book! The characters’ interest in comics and their making is a bit infectious in fact. I’ve always appreciated graphic novels and the like, but reading The Cartoonists Club has made me appreciate how much of an art they really are.

I really liked how different aspects of the art were highlighted in different chapters. In almost every section, the librarian or one of the club members teaches the club and the reader about how to perfect another aspect of cartoons. I especially liked the section that talked about the magic of the blank page. It was simple yet inspiring in a way that recalls the childlike awe too many of us lose as we grow older.

I think The Cartoonists Club is a perfect book for all young bunnies who love drawing or reading or learning! And while it might at first seem too childish for those older than twelve, I think there is still a lot of value in reading it. As a bunny who is no longer in middle school, reading The Cartoonists Club was still very inspiring and made me remember how important art is to me and to us as bunnies / humans. It is a relatively easy book to read and you can read it pretty quickly. But just because it is short and sweet doesn’t mean that its story isn’t significant; sometimes remembering that ‘childish’ sense of imagination is just what you need to recall that same passion and joyful outlook on life!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Cartoonists Club* by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud 100%.

Caramel reviews The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell

A while back Caramel read and reviewed Katherine Rundell’s book titled Impossible Creatures. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about the sequel, The Poisoned King, published originally in 2025.

Sprinkles: You reviewed Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell a while ago. So we are finally ready to talk about the sequel, The Poisoned King.

Caramel: Yup, it is also just as good as the first one.

S: I love it when that happens! So tell me a bit about this book. You had said that the previous book had ended a bit sad. Does this one pick up where that one ended and maybe things get happier?

C: No, I think it’s a little later, maybe a year or so.

S: The same characters?

C: Yes, some of them are the same.

S: Great! So there is some continuity. That is good. So tell us about the story.

C: Yeah, so in the beginning, there is a girl named Anya who is a princess, and her grandfather is killed. So Anya tries to figure out who did that.

S: So is Anya’s grandfather the poisoned king in the title?

C: Yes.

S: So how does Christopher from the other book show up?

C: He doesn’t show up for a while. But we are in the same world and same archipelago.

S: Ooh, and are the same magical creatures from that book still here?

C: Yes.

S: Is the whole book about Anya trying to find who poisoned her grandfather?

C: Sort of. But there are also dragons dying from the same poison.

S: Hmm, kind of like the first book where the magical creatures were in danger.

C: Yeah, except the dragons’ gold is also being stolen.

S: That is interesting! So multiple mysteries all at once.

C: Yeah, but all connected.

S: That makes sense.

Caramel is reading The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell. — Caramel is reading *The Poisoned King* by Katherine Rundell.

S: So in the first book there were a lot of illustrations and you really liked them. Are there any in this one, too?

C: Yeah, it’s like the first one where the pictures are shown only when an important event is described. They are done by the same person, Ashley MacKenzie, and they are just as good. But again, it could have been nice to have more of them.

S: Yeah, I see. Did the book end in a cliffhanger?

C: Yes, it sort of did so there has to be a third book and I have to read it!

S: Yes, apparently there is a third book and it is coming out this September. Its name is The Neverfear.

C: That is a strange title. The other two titles were more regular titles. I wonder what Neverfear means. But yay! I really have to read that book!

S: I am glad you liked this book that much Caramel. So it was fun to read?

C: Yes! I mean, they have magic and they have dragons! Who wouldn’t like that?

S: I know, right? Okay, so before we wrap up this review, tell me if a reader could read this second book before reading the first one. Would it still work? Or should they read the first book before diving into this one?

C: it would be good to have read the first one. You’d have a better understanding of the world. And the characters and the stories from the first book come up here, too, so this second book would not make as much sense to someone who has not read the first book.

S: I see, thank you Caramel, that makes sense. So let us wrap it up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell and is looking forward to the third and last installment of this trilogy. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Poisoned King* by Katherine Rundell and is looking forward to the third and last installment of this trilogy.

Marshmallow reviews The Archer by Paulo Coelho and Christoph Niemann

Today Marshmallow reviews The Archer, a short book originally written in 2003 by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Christoph Niemann, and translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa.

Marshmallow reviews The Archer, written by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Christoph Niemann, and translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa. — Marshmallow reviews *The Archer*, written by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Christoph Niemann, and translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like simple yet somewhat profound books, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): At the beginning of this story, a stranger seeks out Tetsuya. Tetsuya is a humble carpenter now, but he used to be famous throughout the land for his prodigious gifts with a bow and arrow. His sudden retirement and disappearance were rather mysterious, but he is content to live in quiet and obscurity. The stranger searching for him is determined to find him though. He asks a boy from the town to take him to the carpenter and the two arrive at his shop. The stranger pleads Tetsuya to watch him shoot, saying he has mastered the way of the bow and merely wants Tetsuya’s approval to know that his training is complete. To show his worth, the stranger shoots a cherry off a cherry tree a certain distance away. Tetsuya calmly agrees and leads both the stranger and the boy up the mountain in silence. They arrive at a fraying bridge traversing a perilous river and Tetsuya walks to the middle. He shoots a peach off a tree only half the previous distance away from him. He asks the stranger to do the same, but the stranger fails. Tetsuya then tells him that he has mastered the bow but not his mind. With that lesson, he sends the stranger off, after having him promise to keep his identity secret.

The boy—who had been unaware of Tetsuya’s archery prowess till then—is awestruck and asks to be taught the way of the bow. As the master and young boy begin their long trek back to his shop, Tetsuya explains some of the founding ideals of the way of the bow and life as whole. After all, “the way of the bow is present in any human activity.”

Marshmallow is reading The Archer, written by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Christoph Niemann, and translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa. — Marshmallow is reading *The Archer*, written by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Christoph Niemann, and translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa.

Marshmallow’s Review: The Archer was an intriguing book. To be entirely honest, some of the advice is a little too vague and seemed slightly generic. I think a lot of what the author said has been said before, just in different ways.

The pictures by Christoph Niemann were very pretty though, and the minimalistic illustrative style was very calming to look at. They were, I thought, often unrelated to the text, but you can find connections between any two things if you look hard enough.

This goes for this entire book. The text is short and simple with only a couple words or a paragraph per page, making it very spread out. There are 130 or 131 pages but it does not take a lot of time to read at all. If one were to put all words into standard book pages, you would probably not need to go beyond 30-40 pages max.

The Archer is very calming to read. However, the advice and wisdom feels very simplistic and slightly obvious. I feel like this experience is very inspiring if you are willing to analyze every word, every page, every picture and infuse it with your own meaning. If you work hard to interpret everything in a new way, in a way besides the true simple meaning, then you might emerge with a new perspective on life. Without that kind of effort on the side of the reader, most of the text felt like a repetition of ideas that most people have already heard. That said, it was still nice to read. I just don’t know how truly novel this book is.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 94%.

Marshmallow rates The Archer, written by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Christoph Niemann, and translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa, 94%. — Marshmallow rates *The Archer*, written by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Christoph Niemann, and translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa, 94%.