Book Bunnies

Marshmallow reviews The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

A couple years ago, Caramel reviewed Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, a 2005 book written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Soon after, Marshmallow reviewed Judy Moody Goes to College, yet another book written by McDonald and illustrated by Reynolds. But Peter Reynolds is not just an illustrator who works on other people’s books; he has his own books as well. Today Marshmallow reviews one of his most cherished books, The Dot, on its twentieth anniversary. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, can you tell us a bit about this book?

Marshmallow: This is a book about creativity and artistic expression, even when you do not think you have it in you to be creative.

S: That is a neat recap of this book Marshmallow. So maybe let us go a bit into details. What exactly is the plot?

M: There is a little kid named Vashti and she thinks she cannot draw. So at the end of art class, her paper is still empty. And her teacher says, just make a mark and see where it takes you. And so she does. She stabs the paper and makes a dot.

S: Okay, then what happens?

M: Her teacher tells her to sign it.

S: Just a dot?

M: Yes.

S: Then what happens?

M: Well, I don’t want to give away the full story, but her teacher supports Vashti by showing that she values Vashti’s work even when Vashti does not think much of it. And then Vashti gets inspired to create more and more. And in the end, we see her encouraging another young person like her, who believes they are not creative at all, by telling them to “just make a mark and see where it takes you”.

S: So the idea is that you just get started, and then things go from there. Right?

M: Yep. You do not have to feel creative, you do not have to think you know what you are doing. But just get started, and just make your mark. The rest will follow.

Marshmallow is reading The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. — Marshmallow is reading *The Dot* by Peter H. Reynolds.

S: The author / illustrator dedicated this book to Mr. Matson, his seventh grade math teacher who “dared” him “to make [his] mark”. So even though the book is about art, it could be seen as a fable that is about any other thing we are not confident about, no?

M: Yes, I think so. I think the book is really inspiring.

S: I agree. What do you think of the illustrations and the visual aspects of the book?

M: I really like Peter Reynolds’ style. It is very simple, minimalistic, and sparse. But with the very few strokes of his pen, he draws really effective images.

S: Agreed.

M: I also like the way he uses color. Most of the book is in black and white but there are several well-placed splashes of color, which bring attention to specific items on the page. They add a lot to the feel of the whole book. By the way, the illustrations were apparently done with water color, ink, and tea. I wonder how he uses tea.

S: I have no idea!

M: I would like to know. But anyways, all in all I think this is a really neat book.

S: I agree. But Marshmallow, this is a picture book, and you do not review picture books much anymore. Do you perhaps not think this is for young bunnies only?

M: No, I think it can be inspirational for any bunny. Everyone needs some encouragement now and then.

S: Alright, that works for me. Maybe it is time to wrap up this review. What do you want to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow enjoyed reading The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds and recommends it to all bunnies little and big who need a little bit of courage to get started. — Marshmallow enjoyed reading *The Dot* by Peter H. Reynolds and recommends it to all bunnies little and big who need a little bit of courage to get started.

Caramel reviews The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau

Marshmallow reviewed The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau a few weeks ago. Soon after, Caramel reviewed the second book in the series, The People of Sparks. Today, he talks to Sprinkles about The Diamond of Darkhold, the 2008 sequel to The People of Sparks.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you began reading this book recently, right?

Caramel: Right. I finished The People of Sparks and moved onto this one.

S: Does the story simply continue on from where that book left off?

C: Yes. It is now winter and the people of Sparks and the people of Ember are all people of Sparks now. It is actually quite cool.

S: I agree. I really liked the end of that book. So what happens in this book?

C: Lina and Doon meet a roamer who comes to Sparks and they get a few pages of a book from him that is dedicated to the people of Em. The rest of the word is gone but Lina and Doon are sure it means Ember. So they try to figure out what was in the book. And they start traveling because they think that there is something valuable in Ember that they should bring to the surface.

S: I see. So there is a puzzle that they need to solve like there was in the first book, right?

C: Yes. And I like puzzles. So that was cool.

S: Do we learn what the valuable thing is?

C: Not immediately. It takes more or less the whole book. So I won’t tell.

S: Okay. We don’t want too many spoilers.

Caramel is reading The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau. — Caramel is reading *The Diamond of Darkhold* by Jeanne DuPrau.

S: So how did you like the book?

C: I think it was fun to read. It reads like an adventure book. The second book was more about how it is difficult for different people to live together and such big things. but this is more like the first book and there is a lot of adventure and excitement and I liked it.

S: That sounds like fun. I liked both of the first two books and I agree with you that the second was a bit more philosophical, in a way, and the first one felt more like an adventure. So you are saying this feels more like the first than the second.

C: Yes. And Lina and Doon are trying to figure things out together again, which is also good. They were always separated in the second book. I didn’t really like that too much.

S: They do make a good team.

C: Well, it seems they will make more than that but I won’t say more.

S: Hmm, I’m intrigued. Maybe I should read this book, too.

C: Yes, Sprinkles, you definitely should.

S: Alright. Let us wrap up this review this book then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau and recommends it to all the bunnies who enjoyed the first two books in the series. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Diamond of Darkhold* by Jeanne DuPrau and recommends it to all the bunnies who enjoyed the first two books in the series.

Marshmallow reviews How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport

Last week Marshmallow reviewed How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport. This week, as we dive into the new school year, she is continuing with a similar book, How to Be a High School Superstar, first published in 2010. Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, it is back to school time, and you are reading all these books about how to be a good student. You just reviewed How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport last week. And now we are looking at How to Be a High School Superstar, which was written later but is meant for a younger audience.

Marshmallow: Yes, this one is for bunnies who are beginning high school and want to know about how to make the best of it. The other book was mainly intended for college bunnies.

S: I see. So what kinds of advice do you find in this book?

M: The main ides is to be an interesting student so that you can get into college.

S: What does that mean?

M: So Cal Newport thinks that it is not how many As you get in your classes and how many activities you are involved in that matters. He thinks that college admissions folks look at the whole package and want to admit students who look interesting.

S: So what does interesting mean?

M: He suggests that you should leave yourself a lot of free time to explore new directions and find a thing or two that you are really into and you can really advance in, so you can be more than just a good student.

S: So I am assuming he takes it for granted that you will be a good student, or at least a good enough student, and then he tells the reader what else to do to round out one’s college application package. Right?

M: Yes, I think so.

S: So the book is very much directed towards high school students who are looking to get into college.

M: Yep.

Marshmallow is reading How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport. — Marshmallow is reading *How to Be a High School Superstar* by Cal Newport.

S: Okay, so tell me how one can become a more interesting person.

M: According to Cal Newport, doing less is more, so focus on one thing and do that really well. Like, he thinks that doing a sport and doing some volunteering and doing theatre and doing band and so on all at once without really paying any special attention to any one of them makes you dilute your efforts, and while trying to be well rounded you end up being mediocre in all things.

S: That reminds me of something I had heard from a college faculty member I know. He said something like, “while people are looking for well roundedness, I want to find all the sharp knives.”

M: I think I can see what he means by that! I think Cal Newport would agree.

S: Besides this big idea, what other recommendations does he make in this book?

M: Well, I think that is really the main point of the book. He uses the phrase “relaxed superstar”. He thinks that is what one should aspire to be.

S: I see. That sounds nice.

M: I think so, too.

S: So how would you rate this book then?

M: I’d rate it 100%. I think it makes a good point about being intentional about how one goes about doing high school. Wow! I managed to make one sentence with three “about”s!

S: Yes, I give you 100% for that! So this is a good place to wrap up this review, I think. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport 100%. — Marshmallow rates *How to Be a High School Superstar* by Cal Newport 100%.

Caramel reviews A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton

Caramel’s first review for this blog was Narwhal: The Unicorn of the Sea! Since then, he has reviewed all the books from Ben Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly series about two wacky oceanic friends. Today he reviews the most recent addition to the series: A Super Scary Narwhalloween, published in 2023. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

[Readers might like to check out the full series by reading Caramel’s reviews of Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Narwhal’s Otter Friend, Happy Narwhalidays, Narwhal’s School of Awesomeness, and Narwhalicorn and Jelly.]

Caramel reviews A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton. — Caramel reviews *A Super Scary Narwhalloween* by Ben Clanton.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, since the beginning of this blog, you have matured a lot. And you have been reading a lot of different books, but whenever you see Ben Clanton publish a new Narwhal and Jelly book, you can’t seem to resist it.

Caramel: Of course not. Narwhal and Jelly make me happy!

S: I can see that. So remind our readers who Narwhal and Jelly are.

C: Narwhal is a narwhal, and Jelly is a jellyfish. And they live in an ocean, and they are good friends. They have a lot of fun adventures together.

S: So what is this eighth book about?

C: Narwhal has a costume conundrum.

S: What does that mean?

C: Meaning he could not think of what to wear for Halloween.

S: Okay. Go on.

C: And he puts on too many costumes at the same time so everyone thinks he is a monster. But he does not realize that they are all scared of him. So when he tries to eat some waffles, he gets all sticky. Jelly helps him out. So all is well in the end.

S: I am guessing that is one of the reasons why you love these books. That they always end happily.

C: Yes. But also I really like Jelly. Narwhal is also funny. I like his jokes.

Caramel is reading A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton. — Caramel is reading *A Super Scary Narwhalloween* by Ben Clanton.

S: I seem to recall that the books in this series also have a lot of facts in them. And you love books full of facts. How about this one? Are there new facts in it too?

C: Yes!

S: Tell me one new fact you learned from this book then.

C: I learned that there is a bat that is the size of a bumblebee.

S: That is neat, Caramel.

C: It is! It is a tiny, tiny thing!

S: So I was thinking we would hold on to this book and review it for Halloween. But obviously you could not wait.

C: It was very hard.

S: That’s alright. I am sure we will find other books for Halloween. But so tell me, if you were to describe this book in three words, what would you say?

C: Colorful, hilarious, and as always, factful!

S: Yes. That is great, Caramel. So then you recommend this book to all little bunnies who have read the previous adventures of Narwhal and Jelly?

C: Yes, they should all read all of them! At least the second book, Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt.

S: Why?

C: Because this one mentions Jelly Jolt, too.

S: I see. Okay, then. Let us wrap up this review. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton and recommends it wholeheartedly to all the little bunnies who love Narwhal and his friends. — Caramel loved reading *A Super Scary Narwhalloween* by Ben Clanton and recommends it wholeheartedly to all the little bunnies who love Narwhal and his friends.