Reviews – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove by Janet Zappala

A few weeks ago Caramel reviewed Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of The Calf Who Kept Growing, a book by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins, about a rescue calf who grows too big for his first rescue farm and then is moved to another place and finds new friends. Then he reviewed Guapo’s Great Rescue: Clay Finds a Forever Home, a second story about Guapo and his friends in this new home of theirs. Today he is reviewing a third book about Guapo: Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness, which just came out yesterday! As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The book bunnies were sent a review copy of the book.

Caramel reviews Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja. — Caramel reviews *Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove* written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we have a story about Guapo again.

Caramel: Yes we are! This one is about Guapo and his friends finding a magical tree.

S: Tell me more.

C: So yes, there is this grove, a collection of trees near where Guapo and his friends are living. And there is a sad tree in the grove which is not doing too well. Guapo wants to help of course, because you know he likes to help. But he does not know how to help.

S: Okay. Is the tree sick?

C: I’m not really sure. It is not ever made clear. But at some point Guapo and his friends realize that if someone does something nice to someone else near it, the tree gets happier and looks a lot healthier.

S: So it likes people being good to one another.

C: Yes. So they call it the Tree of Kindness. They think it is encouraging them to be kind to one another.

S: That is nice!

C: Yeah so they treat each other well and so the tree is happy. And they play and play. And then something else magical happens.

S: Okay, I am curious, tell me.

C: Well, maybe not. Because that is almost the end of the book and it could count as a spoiler. But in any case it is not totally resolved. So maybe there will be more Guapo books.

S: Hmm, okay, I can understand not wanting to give spoilers. But what you are saying is that there is kind of a cliffhanger at the end of the book.

C: Yeah. Kind of.

S: That is not that typical of picture books that we have read before.

C: True. But I think the book works on its own too. So that is alright.

Caramel is reading Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja. — Caramel is reading *Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove* written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja.

S: Okay, so maybe we can talk about other things about the book then.

C: Yup, let’s do that.

S: From what you are telling me, this book does not really connect with Guapo and his friends living in a rescue farm, does it?

C: Well, kind of. There are children who visit the farm at some point. And there are many different animals at this farm, a lot of them one of their kind. So it is not quite a typical farm. But you are also right. This story did not need its main characters to be rescue animals.

S: That’s alright though, right? Because we are reading about some friends we have met before. We know their backstories, and now they are experiencing new things. So it is fun to read about them.

C: Yes. And this story is a lot more fantastical than the first two books about Guapo and his friends. The tree is magical and then there is the big magic that happens at the end, which I am not talking about. So it almost feels like a different kind of story.

S: Yes, I can see that. That’s an interesting thought, Caramel.

C: Yes. I am an interesting bunny with many interesting thoughts.

S: I know! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this book!

C: No problem.

S: Okay, so maybe this is a good place to wrap up our review.

C: Sure.

S: What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove, written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja, and recommends it to other little bunnies looking for cute stories about other animals. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Guapo and the Mystery of Goodness Grove*, written by Janet Zappala and illustrated by Lara Calleja, and recommends it to other little bunnies looking for cute stories about other animals.

Marshmallow reviews Healthy Brain Happy Life by Wendy Suzuki and Billie Fitzpatrick

Today Marshmallow is reviewing Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better by Wendy Suzuki and Billie Fitzpatrick. originally published in 2016.

Marshmallow reviews Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better by Wendy Suzuki and Billie Fitzpatrick. — Marshmallow reviews *Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better* by Wendy Suzuki and Billie Fitzpatrick.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like your brain, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Dr. Suzuki is a neuroscientist who has spent most of her high-powered academic career studying how our brain creates and processes memories. Yet, as she approached her forties, she realized that she didn’t have many of her own that weren’t centered around her work. Suzuki explains that, after securing a tenured position at NYU, she felt that her main goal in life had finally been accomplished; but, despite this, she was deeply dissatisfied. She had no close friends and did not exercise, leaving her unhealthy and unhappy.

As a scientist, she decides to fix this problem using her own expertise: neuroscience. Of course, while understanding the brain is key to understanding how habits form, it doesn’t give you an automatic path to being able to create healthy ones. Suzuki admits that several of her life changes were only successful due to the support she got from her surroundings. For example, she joined a gym immediately after realizing that she wanted to change her habits. However, when she began exercising, she found herself eating Twix bars everyday immediately before each workout. The main reasons she stuck with her fitness goals were that she started immediately feeling and seeming stronger and that her fitness coach kept her motivated and happy. However, personal trainers are not available to everyone. So this book is an alternative guide for self-improvement. It teaches the reader about different parts of the brain that affect everything from how you feel to how you create the memories that form your identity.

I found it fascinating to read Healthy Brain, Happy Life because you realize that everything up in your skull is tied together in unexpected ways. So there is a lot of neuroscience in the book. But this is not just a textbook! It includes personal anecdotes from Suzuki’s life that show you how you can break free from mental restrictions and understand how you feel and how to make yourself feel better. Throughout the book, Suzuki particularly advocates for aerobic exercise, citing a plethora of research and experience that backs up that central claim. She even created a course on the subject at NYU, combining lectures with weekly class exercises taught by none other than Dr. Suzuki. Aerobic exercise is a significant part of her suggestions, but it is not everything. She examines how the way we think often has roots in deeper anxieties and teaches you how to think about your brain. I think the perspective you gain by the end of the book is the most valuable part because it really shows you how remarkable your mind is. That and the resulting duty you feel to protect and cherish your mind are the two lessons that I believe make a lasting impact.

Marshmallow is reading Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better by Wendy Suzuki and Billie Fitzpatrick. — Marshmallow is reading *Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better* by Wendy Suzuki and Billie Fitzpatrick.

Marshmallow’s Review: I really enjoyed reading Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better. I found it fascinating to learn about which parts of your brain tie into certain functions and I think Suzuki and Fitzpatrick do an excellent job of explaining neuroscience in a simple, easy-to-understand way that is extraordinarily accessible. By the end of the book, the reader is completely convinced of the relevance of neuroscience to everyday life.

I think the reason that the book is so effective in conveying this scientific message is that each claim is exemplified or validated by a case example. Everything suggested is something that worked for Suzuki herself or for someone else. So regardless of what your goals or specific desires are, this book undoubtedly has something to say that can help you get there.

I think overall Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better is a necessity for anyone who is looking to live a happy, healthy, and balanced life because it shows you exactly what makes a life worth living—according to both neuroscience and human experience. I would highly recommend this book to everyone and I believe it is still relatively comprehensible for children at or around 12. I think even ten year olds might be able to yield something from this book (though of course it would have to be a very motivated ten year old)!

Regardless of your age or your situation, Suzuki and Fitzpatrick have written the book for you and all your physical, mental, and emotional needs. Self-care, self-improvement, and self-awareness are difficult to develop. But with this book, you can do exactly that.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 111%.

Marshmallow rates Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better by Wendy Suzuki and Billie Fitzpatrick 111%. — Marshmallow rates *Healthy Brain, Happy Life: A Personal Program To Activate Your Brain and Do Everything Better* by Wendy Suzuki and Billie Fitzpatrick 111%.

Caramel reviews The Dungeon Anarchist’s Handbook by Matt Dinniman

Caramel has already read and reviewed Dungeon Crawler Carl and Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, the first two books of Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Today he is talking about the third book in the series: The Dungeon Anarchist’s Handbook, originally self-published by the author in 2021 and then more traditionally published by a standard publisher in 2024. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I think that today we have another Dungeon Crawler Carl book to discuss.

Caramel: Yup. This is titled The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook and is the third book in the series.

S: Hmm, that is an interesting title. Tell me more.

C: It is not actually about an anarchist, but Carl actually gets a book called The Anarchist’s Cookbook, and this third book is about that, and what he does with it.

S: Okay, so let us go over the storyline a bit. I remember the main premise: Carl is living on Earth, which has been taken over by some aliens who have destroyed most life on the planet, and some remaining humans are forced to participate in a multi-level dungeon crawling game to entertain alien spectators.

C: Right. And in the first two books Carl and his companion Princess Donut have successfully finished the first three levels. This book is about their adventures in the fourth level.

S: Okay, so let us get back to the cookbook. It must be important somehow.

C: Yep, it is important. And it is not really a cookbook. Or rather it is a cookbook but Carl can detect that it is also kind of like a notebook from hundreds of previous crawlers who have obtained different variations of this book. It contains notes from those people, so it is basically a culmination of exploits and other rules the previous crawlers have found loopholes in.

S: Oh, that is neat! So he and Donut will have an easier way through the mazes of Level Four.

C: Yes. But of course it is never that easy. All sorts of other things happen and there are lots of troubles and lots of dangers and enemies… But I won’t go into too much more detail. It is more fun for people to read the book on their own.

S: Okay Caramel. You are right. Maybe this is enough of a teaser to give our readers, so maybe we can talk about other things about the book.

C: Sure.

Caramel is reading The Dungeon Anarchist's Handbook by Matt Dinniman. — Caramel is reading *The Dungeon Anarchist’s Handbook* by Matt Dinniman.

S: For example, this is a really big book!

C: Yeah, it’s 530-ish pages or something like that.

S: That is a lot. The first two books were not small, either, but this is getting really thick. How long did it take you to read it?

C: Not sure. I read it at home and at school during reading time. Maybe a few days?

S: And I don’t think the other books will be much shorter.

C: I guess. But the books are not really hard to read for me. The story is interesting enough so I want to read ahead. Also the story is told through Carl’s voice and Carl is a really neat character. He is funny!

S: I understand. I mean I don’t think you would want to read such a big book for fun if the book were not engaging.

C: Yup. That’s exactly right.

S: Sounds good. On another note, a friend of the blog told us that this volume is where things get a bit more sensitive, or in some ways emotionally difficult. They thought that this volume especially might be rough on a young reader. Was that your experience too?

C: Not really. Maybe I am a little desensitized from watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy so many times. And the world of the books is quite cruel to start with, so I kind of expect terrible things to keep happening. But yeah, some more deaths happen in this book and may involve characters we might have started liking. So in that sense this third book is a bit harder on the reader’s emotions.

S: I see. But you had already told me when we were talking about the first book that you did not think this series was very appropriate for very young bunnies. I suppose that kind of covers this too.

C: Yep. But if a bunny enjoys reading about Dungeons and Dragons or other types of role-playing game worlds, and they have already read some books where bad things keep happening and the main characters have to go through really tough things to survive, then I think they would enjoy this book, and not with much discomfort.

S: Thanks Caramel, that makes sense to me. So maybe we should wrap up this book. Are you ready to dive into Book Four?

C: Yes, I need to read it soon!

S: Alright, we will make it so. What do you want to tell our readers as we wrap things up?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Dungeon Anarchist's Handbook by Matt Dinniman and is ready for Book Four! — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Dungeon Anarchist’s Handbook* by Matt Dinniman and is ready for Book Four!

Sprinkles reviews The Gashlycrumb Tinies or, After the Outing by Edward Gorey

Today, to celebrate the spirit of Halloween, which was just yesterday, Sprinkles reviews The Gashlycrumb Tinies, or After the Outing by Edward Gorey, first published in 1963.

The Gashlycrumb Tinies is written in the guise of an alphabet book, a book that has a page for each letter of the English alphabet with one word per letter described by words and / or depicted by some images explaining the word. But this is not a very good book to be handed out to young bunnies to read on their own.

The book does indeed have a page dedicated to each letter and there is a simple rhyme that holds up through the whole text, but the content is a lot more disturbing than one might expect. As this review is meant for Halloween, readers might expect something spooky. And indeed, the book is basically a list of twenty six children’s names, one child per letter, and lists the varied morbid ways each has died.

So if that is not too weird for you, here is a snippet to give you a taste:

I is for IDA, who drowned in a lake
J is for JAMES who took lye by mistake
K is for KATE who was struck with an axe
L is for LEO who swallowed some tacks

You get the point, I presume.

Sprinkles is reading The Gashlycrumb Tinies or, After the Outing by Edward Gorey. — Sprinkles is reading *The Gashlycrumb Tinies or, After the Outing* by Edward Gorey.

The book is the brainchild of the illustrious artist Edward Gorey, who was also the illustrator of Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, which I read and reviewed a while ago. His art is textured, mostly dark, and very vivid. The children are always alone and so very small in the expansive space they are set in. One wants to pick them up and save them but of course that is impossible.

Gorey apparently said that the book was inspired by “those 19th-century cautionary tales, I guess, though my book is punishment without misbehavior”. Indeed all the illustrations accompanying the sentences about the untimely deaths of these poor young children are black-and-white, and have a somewhat eerie, old-fashioned feel to them. The image accompanying the “IDA” line I quoted above shows a dark but calm lake, a boat on the lake, and a little girl who is leaning over from the edge of the boat looking into the lake. The girl seems a bit unbalanced, and you might think that she might trip over, but you actually do not expect that will happen, because the image looks kind of serene. But then again you know, in this book, nothing goes right.

The book is probably not appropriate for the very young bunch, but it might be fun to read together with a young bunny with a morbid sense of humor. Otherwise it is best kept for a treasure for the parents or parents-to-be, who might be worrying non-stop about all the fanciful dangers little ones might face in this world. To awaken in them the reality that living itself is dangerous, the ways these little ones die are almost all kind of simple (except perhaps for poor Xerxes, who was “devoured by mice” and Neville who “died of ennui”). As such, the book is not even good as a cautionary tale for little ones; it simply is what it is: a morbid little book poking fun at our shock that at least some of us survive till adulthood. Why not take a look at it this Halloween to explore the absurdity of our fears and the unlikelihood of the survival of our species?