friendship – Page 9 – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

Today Caramel reviews The Red Book by Barbara Lehman, first published in 2004. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you chose a beautiful picture book for today’s review. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Caramel: Yes. This book has no words. So any bunny can read it!

S: That sounds interesting!

C: It is! Remember that book I reviewed way back, The Book With No Pictures? This is kind of the opposite. There are pictures but no words.

S: But there is a story?

C: Yes. It is kind of complicated though.

S: How so?

C: So there is a girl walking in the snow in a big city, and she finds a red book in the snow.

S: Is it not destroyed in the snow?

C: No. And she opens the red book and begins to look through its pages and finds the picture of an island in the middle of an ocean. And then she looks more closely and on the island is a boy who is reading a red book of his own. And here is the shocking part: In the red book the boy is holding you can see the girl from the big city!

S: Wait! So the girl’s book shows the boy whose book shows the girl?

C: Yes. Like when you have two mirrors and you see the reflection of your reflection.

S: Okay. I can see how you could make such a comparison.

C: But wait! The weirdness is not over yet. The girl in the city finds a lot of balloons and then flies into the air and gets herself to the boy’s island. And then we see both of them sitting on the beach. And then the red book closes! And there is another person who finds the book and takes it with him.

S: That is interesting Caramel! Very self-referential! Do you know what that means?

C: Yes I think so. I think it means when you talk about yourself. And the red book is talking about itself. Because we are reading the red book which is telling a story about a red book, in which there is another red book…

S: Yes! It really is like the infinitely many reflections you can see in two mirrors facing one another!

C: But that can be confusing! This is not. This is just nice.

Caramel is reading The Red Book by Barbara Lehman. — Caramel is reading *The Red Book* by Barbara Lehman.

S: I agree Caramel. This is really a very sweet book. What did you think about the drawings?

C: I thought they were pretty good. They are simple, but they do not need to be more complicated anyways. I like how the red book is always sticking out on the pages you can see it.

S: True! I like that too! So how did it feel to read a book that did not have any words?

C: Good. The story was nice so I really liked it.

S: You also read and reviewed another book which had no words: Robot Dreams by Sara Varon.

C: I remember that book! And it was a good book and it was about friendship too. But that was kind of sad and this one is just happy.

S: And you like that of course!

C: Of course!

S: Okay, so maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers Caramel?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Red Book by Barbara Lehman and recommends all bunnies to check it out. — Caramel loved reading *The Red Book* by Barbara Lehman and recommends all bunnies to check it out.

Caramel reviews The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate

Last week Caramel reviewed The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate, the third book about the motley crew of dear friends of silverback Ivan whose story started it all. Today he reviews the fourth and currently the last book in this series, The One and Only Family, which was released earlier this month. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, this is the fourth book in this series. What can you tell us about it?

Caramel: This is the newest book in the One and Only Ivan series. I can’t say it is the best but it is pretty good.

S: Do you have a favorite?

C: No, they are all so good. That is why I can’t say this is the best, because they are all the best.

S: I see. Okay, so the first three books had Ivan, Bob, and Ruby in their titles, and they were mainly narrated by Ivan, Bob, and Ruby, respectively. But this one does not have a name in the title. It is just “family”. So who is telling this story?

C: Ivan.

S: The one and only!

C: Yes! The OG!

S: So we are back at the beginning, kind of. Tell me what is going on with Ivan then.

C: He is going to be a daddy!

S: I remember he had a mate in the second book, but I don’t think they had babies together.

C: Yep. Ivan had a mate named Kinyani. And in this book they have twin babies!

S: That is so exciting! But wait, if there is a new book, there might be new problems to solve. Can you tell us a bit more? What is the book about then?

C: It is about the joys and challenges of parenthood.

S: That is such a lofty thing to say for such a tiny little bunny!

C: Well, I am sort of quoting Ivan.

S: Oh I see. I remember Ivan was a quite sophisticated gorilla.

Caramel is reading The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate. — Caramel is reading *The One and Only Family* by Katherine Applegate.

S: So tell me more about the book.

C: There are times when Ivan is sad because he remembers his original family, and there are a lot of funny and sweet things that happen, too. Just what you would expect from this series. It is always so good!

S: I see. I am guessing you liked the book then.

C: Obviously!

S: Okay, so if you were to describe it using three to five words ,what would you say?

C: Funny adventures with old friends, hard-to-put-down page-turner.

S: Hmm, again, that is a lot more than three to five words, but it will do. You said old friends. So do we see Bob the dog and Ruby the elephant in this book, too?

C: Yes. And the girl too, Julia.

S: I see. More or less the same main cast then.

C: Yes, but we get to see more of Kinyani, and then there are the twins, Raji and Tuma.

S: And they are all as likeable as the original crew?

C: Yes, I liked them!

S: So you would recommend this book to other bunnies?

C: Yes, but it would be best if they read the earlier books first. They would know the characters much better that way.

S: Makes sense to me Caramel. Okay, so maybe this is a good 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 The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate and will not forget these wonderful friends for a long while. — Caramel loved reading *The One and Only Family* by Katherine Applegate and will not forget these wonderful friends for a long while.

Caramel reviews The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate

Marshmallow was the first one who read and reviewed The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, but Caramel followed her soon after. Then he read and reviewed the sequel, The One and Only Bob. This week he finally got his paws on the third book in the series: The One and Only Ruby, published in 2023. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, here we are, talking about yet another book about the gorilla Ivan and his friends.

Caramel: Yes, but this one is not so much about Ivan. It’s more about Ruby, the baby elephant that we met in The One and Only Ivan.

S: Oh, is she still a baby in this book?

C: Yes. Or maybe she is a bit older, she is acting like seven or eight, but that would be still quite young for an elephant. Or maybe she is only two years old, because apparently that is around the time elephants start getting their tusks, and that is what is happening in this book.

S: That is interesting!

C: And what is also interesting is that apparently some female elephants lost their tusks by evolution in the second half of the twentieth century due to ivory poaching. It is very interesting but also very sad and angry-making. Why do people have to kill elephants for their tusks? It is theirs! Let them keep their own tusks!

S: I know Caramel, and I totally agree with you. It is not fair. But let us come back to Ruby and the book. So what is the book about? Is it all about her tusks?

C: Not quite. It is more generally about her story. She does not like tusks, and there is a sad reason for that.

S: Hmm, I am getting some ideas because of what we just talked about.

C: Yep. And that’s why I am glad we are not elephants. But I won’t tell you more.

Caramel is reading The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate. — Caramel is reading *The One and Only Ruby* by Katherine Applegate.

S: Okay, then, maybe we can move on. Tell me about the book in other ways. Is Ruby the narrator this time? The Ivan book was narrated by Ivan and the Bob book was narrated by Bob.

C: Yes, this is from Ruby’s voice though Ivan and Bob are still around.

S: Does she sound different from them?

C: A little. So it is the same style in some way but different enough to be convincing.

S: Okay. Is the book funny? Or just sad?

C: Both. So it is sometimes sad and sometimes funny.

S: I understand you are itching to read the next book, which just came out. So you must have liked this one.

C: Yes, I did. Very much.

S: Alright, so if you were to describe the book in three to five words–

C: I’d say: emotionally complicated, important topics with sweet old friends.

S: That is more than five words but I think they will work. I knew you had missed Ivan and Bob.

C: I did!

S: Okay, Caramel. Then let us wrap up this review so you can read the next book. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate and is keen to read and review the fourth book in the series; stay tuned! — Caramel loved reading *The One and Only Ruby* by Katherine Applegate and is keen to read and review the fourth book in the series; stay tuned!

Caramel reviews The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse

Today Caramel reviews The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse, first published in 1956. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us a bit about The Red Balloon.

Caramel: The Red Balloon is a friendly balloon and becomes friends with a boy named Pascal. Pascal is lonely. He does not have brothers or sisters, and his mom does not want him to have any pets. It also seems like he does not have friends at school. But the Red Balloon becomes his friend. They go to places together, and the Red Balloon waits for him when he has to go inside.

S: That sounds fantastical, but also very sweet.

C: I think so too. Pascal needs a friend, so the Red Balloon becomes his friend. But then there are some mean boys who try to take the Red Balloon from Pascal, and they chase him, and they try to blow it up. It is really sad, and I got really mad at those boys.

S: You are right, they are mean, and they are jealous I think. Pascal has a really magical friend, and they cannot have it so they want to destroy it. Pretty terrible.

C: But at least the end of the book is not unhappy.

S: I agree. The book has some sad moments, but there are lots of very happy and sweet parts, and the end is very sweet, too.

C: Yes.

Caramel is reading The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse. — Caramel is reading *The Red Balloon* by Albert Lamorisse.

S: The book has lots of pictures, and they are almost all black and white, except the balloon, which is bright red. What did you think of that?

C: I liked it. It made the balloon even more special.

S: I agree. We also watched together the film the book is based on. What did you think of the film?

C: It was good. But watching it made me even angrier at the boys. They were so mean!

S: Yes. Pascal is so alone at the beginning and he is so happy when he makes friends with the Red Balloon, and then the boys come and try to take it away from him.

C: I guess, like you said, they were really jealous. I mean, I’d love to be friends with a balloon like that!

S: But you have real friends, too, Caramel. Pascal does not seem to have any. So he needs it so much more.

C: Good point. Hey, Sprinkles, do you think we could put a link to the movie here so our readers can watch it too, if they want?

S: Sure.

The Red Balloon – A boy makes friends with a seemingly sentient red balloon, and it begins to follow him. It follows him to the bus stop, to school, and to church. They play together in the streets of Paris and try to elude a gang of boys that wants to steal it. The Red Balloon (1956) Director: Albert Lamorisse. From YouTube.

C: Thank you. I think the movie is really nice too. It is not totally black and white, but the Red Balloon is the brightest thing in it, too.

S: Yes. I think it definitely adds to its magic. So all in all, did you like this book?

C: Yes. But now I am wondering what it would feel like to have my own balloon friends.

S: It would definitely be fun, I am sure. Especially if like in the end you had many many balloon friends!

C: Sprinkles, you are giving away the end!

S: Okay, you are right. I will not say more. Maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review anyways. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel liked reading The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse and is now dreaming of traveling around the world hanging on a lot of friendly balloons. — Caramel liked reading *The Red Balloon* by Albert Lamorisse and is now dreaming of traveling around the world hanging on a lot of friendly balloons.