Caramel’s reviews – Page 14

Caramel reviews Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Today Caramel reviews Impossible Creatures, a 2024 book by Katherine Rundell. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, this is your last review for the year!

Caramel: Yep, and I am very happy about that!

S: Hmm, I thought you liked reading books.

C: I do! And I even like talking about them. But when the year is over, we always take a month-long break, and who doesn’t like breaks?

S: Okay, I totally get that! So let us do our review and wrap up the year then.

C: Actually we won’t be done completely, because on Saturday we will do a joint review with Marshmallow and go over all the books we talked about this year.

S: True. But you will be done with talking about new books. So tell us, what is this book about?

C: It is about this one girl named Mal and an archipelago where mythical creatures are real. The girl finds a baby griffin, and then meets a boy named Christopher and asks him to help her save all of the creatures in the archipelago from a great danger.

S: So is the girl a keeper of these magical creatures?

C: Yes and no, the griffin is her friend, not her pet.

S: Okay, so is this like, there is this magical world of magical animals that us mere mortals do not know about, kind of like in The Menagerie?

C: Yeah, kind of.

S: I see. So I am assuming the impossible creatures in the title of the book are these magical creatures?

C: Yep, definitely. However they are not as kind as the ones in The Menagerie.

S: Oh, are they more like wild animals?

C: No, they are more intelligent creatures, but still kind of angry.

S: I read that somehow the magic is running out?

C: Yep, some evil thing is stealing the magic from the source.

S: Oh, and so Mal and Christopher have to figure out what is going on and save the magic?

C: Yep, and they will have to kill the evil one.

S: That sounds like it could be an exciting read!

C: Yep. It was.

S: And does it all end up nice and tidy? I heard there might be a sequel.

C: Yeah, I would like to read it if there is a sequel. This one ended a little sad.

S: Oh no! I don’t want to ask.

C: Okay, don’t ask then.

Caramel is reading Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. — Caramel is reading *Impossible Creatures* by Katherine Rundell.

S: Alright. I will change the topic. Though we could not call this book a graphic novel or a picture book, there are still quite a lot of images here and there, right?

C: Yep. Maybe sixty or more!

S: They were apparently the work of the artist named Ashley MacKenzie. What did you think of them?

C: I liked them! But I felt like the book could have used even more images. I mean, there were some things that I felt could need some images.

S: That is interesting! You do know quite a few different kinds of magical creatures already, so I am guessing this book had some that you had not heard of before?

C: No, but I want to see them just the same. But you know, the map at the beginning, that was pretty cool! It showed the archipelago where the magical creatures live. And then there is an illustrated Bestiary, which was also neat.

S: Hmm, so I think you liked the illustrations, just wanted a lot more, because they were pretty good!

C: Yep, having more would have been really good.

S: Okay, I think it is clear that you enjoyed this book. So we can wrap this up now. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell and recommends it to other little bunnies who enjoy reading about magical creatures. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Impossible Creatures* by Katherine Rundell and recommends it to other little bunnies who enjoy reading about magical creatures.

Caramel reviews Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by Richard Adams, James Sturm, and Joe Sutphin

Many years ago, over the course of a few days, the book bunnies listened all together as a family to an unabridged version of Watership Down, the 1972 classic by Richard Adams. Recently Caramel got his paws on a new (2023) graphic novel adaptation of the book by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin and read it over the course of a few hours. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about the book.

Caramel reviews Watership Down: The Graphic Novel, written by Richard Adams, adapted by James Sturm, and illustrated by Joe Sutphin. — Caramel reviews *Watership Down: The Graphic Novel*, written by Richard Adams, adapted by James Sturm, and illustrated by Joe Sutphin.

Sprinkles: I remember how we listened to this whole story when you all were so much younger. So when I saw that there was a graphic novel adaptation, I knew you would want to read it.

Caramel: Yes, I guess you were right! You know me well.

S: I think I do! Okay can you tell us a bit about the story?

C: Sure. In this book there are bunnies like us, but they are wild and are trying to escape from a great evil that was foretold by one of them named Fiver.

S: Oh, I think I remember Fiver. Isn’t he the dreamer one? Kind of like an oracle?

C: Yeah, kind of. He can see the future and warns the others of the dangers so they can survive.

S: Okay, so here is a group of rabbits living in a warren. That is, my dictionary tells me, a network of interconnecting rabbit burrows. And they are living a normal wild rabbit life. But then some great evil thing happens, is that it?

C: Yes, it is kind of like that. However not everyone believes Fiver, and so not all of them make it.

S: Well, I can see how not everyone would immediately believe some little bunny saying something terrible will happen, without evidence. But his brother believes him, right?

C: Yep, so Hazel, that is Fiver’s brother, gathers everyone who believes Fiver and they run.

S: So they leave their warren and wander away, and try to find a new place to settle down at?

C: Yep. Along the way they find a different warren in which there are some not-so-nice bunnies who try to kill the main character bunnies, but thankfully the good bunnies make it out, and they get two new bunnies from that warren.

S: Cool! Okay, so Fiver is the dreamer, oracle bunny. Hazel is the main leader bunny. Are there other characters that you especially liked or remembered from when we listened to the book those many years ago?

C: Fiver is my favorite, I don’t know why but he is my favorite bunny in the book.

S: He is a gentle soul, as far as I remember. He is sensitive and kind.

C: Yeah, but he can also see the future, and that is cool.

S: Yes, that is really cool, I agree. I do remember another character, Bigwig, I think. He is a fighter, and a good one too.

C: Yeah, he is also really cool, but Fiver is still my favorite character. There is also a big bird who helps the bunnies occasionally, His name is Kehaar.

S: That is cool! I liked that character, too.

Caramel is reading Watership Down: The Graphic Novel, written by Richard Adams, adapted by James Sturm, and illustrated by Joe Sutphin. — Caramel is reading *Watership Down: The Graphic Novel*, written by Richard Adams, adapted by James Sturm, and illustrated by Joe Sutphin.

S: Okay, so when we listened to this book many years ago, we had no images to attach to the main characters. But a graphic novel of course will have faces attached to each character. Did these work for you? Did you like the illustrations? Is the world of Fiver and Hazel how you had imagined it to be?

C: Yeah, it is a lot like what I thought. The bunnies are all very realistic looking, too, and exactly how I imagined them to be.

S: That sounds great! I was just going to ask you if they were more cartoonish or more realistic. So this was perhaps the longest graphic novel you have ever read, right?

C: Yep, it was 382 pages!

S: That is long for a graphic novel. But the original book is a very long one, too, so that makes sense. Anyways, did you know that the original book was banned in some places because it was too violent and there was a lot of brutality depicted explicitly?

C: Oh no. I did not think it was too violent.

S: Well, then again, you do like the Wings of Fire series and those are also kind of violent. So maybe your generation of bunnies is a bit more used to violence…

C: No, I would hope not.

S: I see what you mean Caramel. Yes you are right, it is not a good thing to get used to violence. Maybe I should have said that you can handle some more violence. I think that especially when they made the animated movie in 1978, the movie started out looking like a typical Disney movie, with cute bunnies who speak and are living in this idyllic natural place, but then things get dark very fast, and terrible things happen, bunnies killing each other, getting killed by humans, and so on. So maybe it shocked people a lot more back then.

C: Maybe.

S: I also read that it was banned in China for a while because it depicted animals and humans as equals or at least somewhat on a similar level, and this was unacceptable.

C: Hmm, they probably would not like Animal Farm either, then. Or us.

S: Yes, you have a point there Caramel. Bunnies talking about books would probably not be okay. Anyways, we are bunnies who love to read and talk about books. So let us get back to the book. So overall, did you enjoy this graphic novel?

C: Yes, greatly. And I recommend it to all young bunnies who like to read about other bunnies being heroic.

S: Cool! Okay let us wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Watership Down: The Graphic Novel, written by Richard Adams, adapted by James Sturm, and illustrated by Joe Sutphin, and recommends the book to all young bunnies who like to read about other bunnies being heroic. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Watership Down: The Graphic Novel*, written by Richard Adams, adapted by James Sturm, and illustrated by Joe Sutphin, and recommends the book to all young bunnies who like to read about other bunnies being heroic.

Caramel reviews The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the 1979 book by Douglas Adams that originated from a 1978 radio show and then went on to evolve into a whole “comedy science fiction franchise”, according to Wikipedia.

Sprinkles: So we are talking about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy today. I am excited! I had really enjoyed reading this book myself.

Caramel: Yup, this book was surely a really good read. I had a lot of fun reading it.

S: Yay! So maybe we can start with a brief introduction to the story for anyone reading our blog who might not know about it.

C: Sure. It is a scifi book that is infused with a lot of comedy.

S: It is funny, I agree. Tell us more.

C: This book tells the story of a guy named Arthur Dent and another one named Ford Perfect.

S: It is actually Prefect, as in Ford Prefect, the car.

C: Yes, I knew that but somehow forgot. Yes, he is actually named that because he came to Earth fifteen years before the start of this story, maybe around when the car came out, you see Ford Prefect is an alien from Betelgeuse Seven.

S: Yes, apparently the author at some point said that Ford “had simply mistaken the dominant life form on Earth” (again according to Wikipedia).

C: Yes, when you look at it from outer space, apparently, humans don’t look like the dominant species on Earth. So Ford Prefect thought he should blend in and gave himself the name of a common car. But actually humans are really not the dominant species on Earth, according to The Hitchhiker’s Guide. It is the mice who are the smartest species on our planet.

S: That is funny! I mean, we have read many books about clever mice, remember Poppy and Ragweed?

C: Yes, then there is Ralph and Babymouse. So to me it sounds reasonable!

S: But this book is not really about mice, is it?

C: No, it is about the adventures of Arthur and Ford. So Ford comes to Earth to work on a guide book, and then is stuck. At the time when the book starts, Ford knows that the planet is going to be destroyed soon and wants to save Arthur and he tries to teach him about life in the universe. He tells him about this amazing guide book, The Hitchhiker’s Guide, that anyone who is going out traveling in space should have.

S: So the book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is about a book called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?

C: Kind of, but it is more about Ford and Arthur.

S: So what happens? Do they leave the Earth together? And why on earth is the Earth going to be destroyed?

C: Because the planet is in the way of an intergalactic highway that some people want to build.

S: Ouch! That’s rough! Okay, so Earth cannot appeal and they have to leave, right? What do they do? Does the Earth really get destroyed in the book?

C: Yes, the entire planet is destroyed and turned to ash.

S: You said this was a funny book. That sounds pretty terrible.

C: Yes, but you know it is fiction when you are reading it. And the book is funny! Really funny. And they do not go into the details of the destruction at all really; that is almost an excuse to get Ford and Arthur traveling together.

S: And also telling us that our planet is one of many and maybe we should not be so full of ourselves if they can just demolish it to make a highway, like we do not really matter in the grand scheme of things.

C: When you say it like that, it maybe does not sound so funny, but it is really funny Sprinkles.

S: I know Caramel, and actually I like being reminded that we should not be too full of ourselves. Our lives matter, what we do matters, but we are not at the center of the universe. It is a small world after all but it is inside a very big universe.

Caramel is reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. — Caramel is reading *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* by Douglas Adams.

S: Anyways back to the book. So what happens in the end? You know there are many more books in the series?

C: They get picked up on accident by an alien ship, and are then thrown out of the ship, and then are picked up by another ship. Apparently Arthur is the only human remaining from Earth, and it is kind of funny because he is just a normal guy. Anyways, along the way a lot of hilarious things happen and we learn from Ford about the Guide and all sorts of weird facts from it.

S: Oooh, you like facts! But of course these are probably fictional facts, right? Can you tell me a couple?

C: Yep, they are fictional but also really fun. One is about the Babel fish which feeds off of brain waves and can translate any language.

S: Ooh, cool, like the universal translator in Star Trek or in Doctor Who, but it is a fish! Awesome! One more?

C: There is a thing called the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, which is a cocktail that contains Ol’ Janx Spirit, a particularly vicious alcoholic drink, and is so strong that you will need to recuperate in a hospital.

S: That sounds bad. Okay, so maybe it is time to wrap up this review. Overall it seems like this book kept you entertained, right? Do you want to read the next book in the series? It is called The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I think there are five more books in total.

C: Sure, why not?

S: Alright, we will see if we can get you a copy. Okay, Caramel, what would you like to tell our readers as we wrap up this review?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and is keen to read more from this series. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* by Douglas Adams and is keen to read more from this series.

Caramel reviews This is a Poem That Heals Fish by Jean-Pierre Siméon and Olivier Tallec

Today Caramel talks to Sprinkles about a neat picture book about poems: This is a Poem that Heals Fish, originally written in French by Jean-Pierre Siméon and illustrated by Olivier Tallec. The version Caramel read was translated into English by Claudia Zoe Bedrick and originally published in 2007.

Caramel reviews This is a Poem That Heals Fish written by Jean-Pierre Siméon, illustrated by Olivier Tallec and translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. — Caramel reviews *This is a Poem That Heals Fish,* written by Jean-Pierre Siméon, illustrated by Olivier Tallec and translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick.

Sprinkles: So, Caramel, you know that I will be reviewing a poetry book this weekend. Is that why you picked this book to review today?

Caramel: No, actually, I just thought it might be cool to review it.

S: That makes sense. I do think this is a really cool book. Also very pretty.

C: Yep, that is what caught my attention.

S: So why don’t we begin at the beginning? Can you tell us what this book is about?

C: This book is about a kid named Arthur whose fish Leon is sick. Or maybe bored actually. Anyways Arthur asks his mom what to do and she tells him to give him a poem.

S: And then off she goes to play tuba, right?

C: Yep, how did you know?

S:You know I read this book too Caramel! I actually first read about this book in a blog post about it and had to get one for us. The pictures and the words, they were all so beautiful. I am so glad you liked the pictures too.

C: Oh, I had no idea, but yes, I do like the pictures a lot!

S: So happy to hear that! Okay maybe we can get back to the story of Arthur and Leon. So does Arthur know what to do when his mom tells him to give the fish a poem?

C: Not really. So he asks everyone he knows what a poem is. And everyone tells him something different.

S: Can you give an example or two of the kinds of answers he gets?

C: One of them says that it is when you are in love and have the sky in your mouth. And another says that a poem is words turned upside down and suddenly the world is new. And another person says it is the heartbeat of a stone. And so on.

S: Which one of them is your favorite?

C: I have no idea. It is hard to pick one. They are all slightly different and all together make up a really good definition.

Caramel is reading This is a Poem That Heals Fish, written by Jean-Pierre Siméon, illustrated by Olivier Tallec and translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. — Caramel is reading *This is a Poem That Heals Fish*, written by Jean-Pierre Siméon, illustrated by Olivier Tallec and translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick.

S: So how would you define a poem Caramel?

C: Hmm, I think it is a song of the heart.

S: That is beautiful, Caramel! I love it!

C: Why, thank you, I would like to think that that was very good of me.

S: Yes, I thought so. Anyways, I think this is the first poetry book you have reviewed for our blog.

C: Not really. I know Marshmallow reviewed more books about poetry than me, but i also reviewed a poetry book. Remember Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman and Loren Long? That was a good book to read and review, too.

S: Oh yes. That is true. And this weekend I hope to review a few more poetry books. But I am glad you chose to talk about this book today. And I love that you posed with one of my favorite pages in the book with the grandpa and the red poppies!

C: I am always gracious like that!

S: Yes, you are! Okay, so before we wrap things up, tell us if Leon the fish gets to feel better at the end.

C: Yes! He does! Arthur tells his fish Leon all that he learned about poetry. And Leon is no longer bored. He says his silence is his poetry.

S: That is kind of cryptic but also beautiful.

C: Yup, creepy, too, a bit though.

S: I guess one could think that. In his silence there is a lot going on, lots of meanings in words unsaid. I choose to think of it as beautiful.

C: Yeah, I suppose that is a better way of seeing it. And more poetic!

S: Yep! So okay, maybe it is time to wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading This is a Poem That Heals Fish, written by Jean-Pierre Siméon, illustrated by Olivier Tallec and translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick, and sharing it with the readers of the book bunnies blog! — Caramel loved reading *This is a Poem That Heals Fish*, written by Jean-Pierre Siméon, illustrated by Olivier Tallec and translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick, and sharing it with the readers of the book bunnies blog!