Caramel’s reviews – Page 73

Caramel reviews We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller

Caramel reviews We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller, a book in the Elephant and Piggie Like Reading Series.

Caramel has already reviewed three books from the Elephant and Piggie Like Reading series (see his reviews of The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat, The Itchy Book by LeUyen Pham, and Harold and Hog Pretend for Real! by Dan Santat). Today he reviews a fourth book from this collection: We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller. (Can you see the little beak behind the book? Who is hiding there??) — Caramel reviews *We Are Growing!* by Laurie Keller. (Can you see the little beak behind the book? Who is hiding there??)

Sprinkles: What is this book about Caramel?

Caramel: Hmmm, I’m busy, I’m flipping through the pages.

S: Yes, you can do that of course, but you should also tell us about the book.

C: It is about eight leaves of grass.

S: The book is about grass?

C: Not exactly. The characters are grass leaves but the book is about one particular leaf.

S: So what is interesting about this leaf?

C: He doesn’t know what he is. Until the end.

S: What does that mean? He is a grass leaf. So he knows that, right?

C: Yes, but among his friends, there is the tallest one, there is a silliest one, there is a curliest one. There is a crunchy one, for some reason. And two pointy ones.

S: I see. So our hero leaf wants to be special like them too?

C: Yes! And in the end he figures out that he is the …

Caramel and his mysterious penguin friend are reading the preamble of We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller, where Elephant and Piggie tell the readers that reading this book is like watching grass grow ... because it is! But in the best possible way... — Caramel and his mysterious penguin friend are reading the preamble of *We Are Growing!* by Laurie Keller, where Elephant and Piggie tell the readers that reading this book is like watching grass grow … because it is! But in the best possible way…

S: Wait! Don’t tell. You’ll spoil it for our readers!

C: Aww…. That’s too bad… I really wanted to give it away.

S. Alright, let us not give it away though. Let us go back to what this book is really about. It is not quite about grass, is it?

C: No not really.

S: Can you think of the grass leaves as little bunnies in second grade?

C: Hmm, maybe.

S: Is there a tallest in your class? Is there someone who is the funniest? Is there someone who is the messiest?

C: Hmm… I don’t know. We don’t really compare ourselves to each other. And there is definitely not the pointiest. Or a curliest one.

S: There might be bunnies with curlier hair than you! But it is good that you and your friends don’t compare yourselves to one another. Do you think the little grass leaf would be happier if he did not compare himself to his friends?

C: Maybe.

S: So do you think the book is about comparing oneself to others?

C: Maybe.

S: Or maybe not.

C: I don’t know really.

S: All the leaves are unique in their own ways, right?

C: Not all! Two of them are the same! Practically. They are both the pointiest.

S: Yes but they too are special in some way and different from one another.

C: Their colors are kind of different I think. One is darker green and the other is lighter green.

S: Yes. So our little grass leaf friend also wants to be unique and special, right?

C: Yes! I think that is what the story is about! Being unique, right?

S: Right. And we are all unique, each of us!

C: Yes! And the little leaf figures this out too. And he is unique because .. ok, I won’t tell you.

S: Good idea Caramel! Readers can read and find it out themselves. Do you think it is time to wrap things up now?

C: Yes! Stay tuned for more book bunny adventures!

Caramel and his mysterious penguin friend really enjoyed reading We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller, and recommend it to all other little bunnies and penguins. — Caramel and his mysterious penguin friend really enjoyed reading *We Are Growing!* by Laurie Keller, and recommend it to all other little bunnies and penguins.

Caramel reviews The Lost Heir (Book Two of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes

Caramel reviews the graphic novel version of The Lost Heir (Book Two of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes).

Last week Caramel reviewed the graphic novel version of The Dragonet Prophecy (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (adapted by Barry Deutsch, art work by Mike Holmes, color by Maarta Laiho). This week he wanted to talk about the second graphic novel in the series: The Lost Heir. As always Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So how do you want to start this review Caramel?

Caramel: This book is good if you like graphic novels and if you like dragons, too. All of the Wings of Fire series is great for bunnies who like dragons.

S: I can see that! You haven’t dropped this book since you picked it up. Can you tell me a bit about what happens in this book?

C: Let me see. First let me tell you the characters.

S: Aren’t they the same characters as in the first book?

C: Yes, many are the same, but there are some new ones. I think there are four new characters actually.

S: But in your first review you did not really tell us much about the characters. We only heard about Oasis, Blaze, Burn, and Blister. And the five types of dragons: SandWings, MudWings, SeaWings, NightWings, and RainWings. So you can tell us about the characters a bit this time. For example do you have a favorite character?

C: Riptide is probably my favorite of the new characters. He is the nicest. He is a SeaWing. SeaWing dragons can see in the dark and breathe under water. And some of their scales can glow in the dark. But we learned all that in the first book.

Caramel has been reading and rereading the graphic novel version of The Lost Heir (Book Two of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes). — Caramel has been reading and rereading the graphic novel version of *The Lost Heir* (Book Two of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes).

S: So what happens in this second book?

C: Tsunami is a SeaWing dragon who returns home. She’s apparently a lost princess.

S: How does Riptide come into the picture?

C: They are in the same tribe. And he is one of the patrol guards. He and Tsunami become friends.

S: So the back of the book says:

Tsunami can’t believe that she’s finally returning to the SeaWing Kingdom after spending her life under a mountain. She’s desperate to feel the water on her scales and to be reunited with her mother, Queen Coral. The queen welcomes her long-lost daughter with open wings, but a vicious assassin has been killing the heirs to the throne and Tsunami may be next.

S: This sounds scary!

C: Yeah. But don’t worry Sprinkles, things do work out alright in the end. She survives.

S: Ooo, we should not give away too much Caramel.

C: Aw, but I wanted to tell you all about it. The whole entire book!

S: Maybe after we are done with the review… For now let us think about what more to say that won’t give away too much.

C: Alright. Can I rate the book at the end? Like Marshmallow does?

S: Sure. Why not?

C: Yay! My rating for this book would be 100%.

S: Wow! So you like it so much that you think it is almost perfect!

C: It is perfect! In fact it’s more than perfect. Awesome super duper perfect!

S: Why though? Why do you like it so much?

C: I love dragons. And I like the characters, and the story. It’s awesome! And now I can say the last words!

S: Yes, Caramel. Go for it!

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies adventures!

Caramel rates the graphic novel version of The Lost Heir (Book Two of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes) 100%. — Caramel rates the graphic novel version of *The Lost Heir* (Book Two of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes) 100%.

Caramel reviews The Dragonet Prophecy (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes

Caramel reviews the graphic novel version of The Dragonet Prophesy (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes).

Caramel has been eager to get his paws on this book series for ages! Today he reviews the graphic novel version of the first book of the Wings of Fire series by Tui Sutherland (adapted by Barry Deutsch, art work by Mike Holmes, color by Maarta Laiho). As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions as needed.

Caramel reviews The Dragonet Prophecy (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel reviews *The Dragonet Prophecy* (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

Sprinkles: How do you want to start this review Caramel?

Caramel: If you are a person who likes dragons and graphic novels, this series might be good for you.

S: You must be channeling Marshmallow! That’s usually how she starts her reviews!

C: Good point! Maybe I should also start rating books!

S: We can think about that later. So what else do you want to tell us about this book?

C: Can I share a quote? Or a page?

S: Let’s stick with a quote. A whole page might be too much.

C: Hmm. Ok, maybe later. There is a Queen dragon named Oasis who gets killed, and then her daughters, three dragon princesses, Burn, Blaze, and Blister, are fighting for her throne.

S: Those names sound kind of scary. Do they all breathe fire?

C: No. I don’t think so. Oh, or maybe they can. I don’t know really.

S: And there is a prophecy, right? What is that about?

C: It’s about these five dragons who will stop the war and choose the next queen of the SandWings.

S: So Oasis is a SandWing. What other kinds of dragons are there in this world?

C: There are MudWings, SeaWings, NightWings, and RainWings. Apparently the NightWings were supposed to tell the future and read minds, but the NightWing dragonet Starflight cannot do any of that.

S: But still these five will somehow save the world, or stop the war, or something, right?

C: Right something like that.

S: So is a dragonet a baby dragon?

C: I think so.

S: So this sounds like a complicated storyline. Are there any humans on this world?

C: Yes, only a few, and they are not very good. They killed Oasis. The dragons call them Scavengers.

S: So the whole story is told from the viewpoint of the dragons, rights?

C: Or rather, the dragonets!

S: What do you think of the illustrations? This book is very orange.

C: The cover is but the inside is not! It is colorful though. And the drawings are really good.

Caramel is enjoying his first real graphic novel: The Dragonet Prophecy (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel is enjoying his first real graphic novel: *The Dragonet Prophecy* (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

S: According to Common Sense Media, this book is a bit too violent for some kids. What did you think?

C: Yeah, there were some parts I wanted to skip. And I did. So I think it is true that it has some violent parts. There are some deaths for example.

S: But also the review above is of the actual book, not the graphic novel version. So there may be some differences. Did you read the original book?

C: Nope.

S: Did you even know there was another version?

C: I did.

S: I think the graphic novels are newer and they are coming out one by one, but there are a lot more of the series that are in regular book format. Do you think you will want to read those too?

C: Nope, not really.

S: Really? I think the other books might also be interesting. Maybe once you are done with the graphic novels, you will want to know what happens next and you will end up wanting to read the other ones too. There are only two graphic novels so far and the series has over fifteen books…

C: We will see. Maybe Marshmallow will read them first.

S: That might be a good idea. They might be for older bunnies… But so far so good, right? You seem to love this book, you are almost inseparable from it!

C: Yes! But now it’s time for me to say: Stay tuned for more book bunnies adventures!

Caramel really enjoyed reading The Dragonet Prophecy (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel really enjoyed reading *The Dragonet Prophecy* (Book One of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

Caramel reviews Penguins Hate Stuff by Greg Stones

Caramel reviews Penguins Hate Stuff by Greg Stones.

Caramel was digging through the book bunnies’ family library when he discovered a little book by Greg Stones titled Penguins Hate Stuff. Though it is not really a children’s book, Penguins Hate Stuff did make Caramel chuckle for a long while. So below he shares his thoughts on this little book about some very opinionated penguins. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions, as usual.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I can see you really like this book!

Caramel: I really do. But I’m busy now, flipping through the pages.

S: Alright, you can do that too, but also tell us a bit about this book. What is it about?

C: It’s about pigeons. Oops! I mean penguins.

S: For a moment there you got this book confused with the adventures of the Pigeon, no?

C: Yes, I reviewed a book about the Pigeon, the one where he doesn’t want to go to school. But this is not about pigeons, it’s about penguins. And according to this book penguins really like pigeons.

S: So the book is about what penguins like and what they hate, right? So tell me a few things they hate.

C: Apparently they hate samurai, which we actually like. I even reviewed a book about them.

Caramel is pointing at the pages of Penguins Hate Stuff where we learn that penguins hate samurai and bullfighting. — Caramel is pointing at the pages of *Penguins Hate Stuff* where we learn that penguins hate samurai and bullfighting.

C: But I would hate sky sharks too.

S: Wait a minute. What is a sky shark?

C: It’s a shark that swims in the sky.

S: So it’s make-believe, right?

C: Yup.

S: And there are many other make-believe things in the book, right? Zombies, leprechauns…

C: Yes, and witches…

S: What do you think about the illustrations?

C: I think they are pretty good. They also apparently hate oil rigs. So a penguin put an explosive on one.

S: That kind of sounds pretty destructive.

C: Yes.

S: The book is not always really very gentle. It is not really for little bunnies like you Caramel. But you found it hilarious, right?

C: Yep. The penguins look tiny and very serious sometimes.

S: Which one is your favorite? Tell me a few of your favorite pages.

C: I would say, not the oil rigs, not the samurai, I like the page where the penguins really like balloons. They also like capes. I like that!

S: Yes, the penguin wearing the cape is flying, and penguins don’t usually fly, right?

C: Yes, penguins can’t fly. So the cape must be magical and making it fly. I also like the page where “penguins like bum warmers.”

S: What does that mean Caramel?

C: They are sitting on sheep and their bums get warm that way.

S: I thought those were polar bears!

C: They are sheep!

S: Alright, I’ll take your word for it. Your eyes see much better than mine. And all of these pages have very detailed pictures and you like looking at all the details on each page, don’t you?

C: Yes, I do. And this is a good time to wrap this up so I can continue to flip through the pages.

S: Sounds good. Why don’t you say the last word?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny adventures!

Caramel loves turning the pages of Penguins Hate Stuff by Greg Stones and rediscovering yet another ridiculous thing penguins hate! — Caramel loves turning the pages of *Penguins Hate Stuff* by Greg Stones and rediscovering yet another ridiculous thing penguins hate!