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Caramel reviews Make Your Own Press-Out Spaceships by David Hawcock

Today Caramel reviews a recent favorite, Make Your own Press-Out Spaceships, by David Hawcock. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, as soon as you saw this book in a catalog, you wanted to get your paws on it. But it took us a while to get a copy. Was it worth the wait?

Caramel: Yes. It most certainly was.

S: So tell us a bit about the book.

C: This book has a lot of fun facts about space, and in between, there are special pages you push out and make spaceships with. As you can imagine, this made me very happy.

S: I can imagine. But I don’t have to. I saw you happily building a rover and a space shuttle already.

C: Yep. And next I’m going to build the purple spaceship at the end. I will call it the Dark Star.

S: That sounds cool!

C: It is!

Caramel is reading Make Your Own Press-Out Spaceships by David Hawcock. — Caramel is reading *Make Your Own Press-Out Spaceships* by David Hawcock.

S: So you said the book is full of facts. And we know you love facts and have a lot of them in your head already. Can you tell me one new fact you learned?

C: I learned about dark matter. Apparently it is “an invisible component of matter that makes up most of the universe.” According to the NASA website we found, “dark matter is composed of particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light, so they cannot be detected by observing electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is material that cannot be seen directly. We know that dark matter exists because of the effect it has on objects that we can observe directly.” That is pretty awesome!

S: I agree, it is pretty awesome!

C: I also learned that it takes Mercury eighty-eight days to orbit the sun, but it takes Pluto 247 Earth-years! That is kind of sad!

S: Yes, so if we lived on Pluto, years would probably not be too useful as units of time, right?

C: I guess you could use them to measure things that take a longer time.

S: But our lifetimes would be less than a Pluto-year.

C: Unless we would be different there, and our lives would last about the same number but in Pluto-years.

S: Those lives would be long!

C: Yes, and they would be excellent!

S: Okay, let us not get too carried away. So I know the book has cool facts and cool spaceship models, but when you remove the pages to make the models, what remains of the book? Do you still have something left over?

C: Yes. They were clever and put the model pages separately from the main book pages with the facts and the pictures. Did I tell you about the pictures yet?

S: No.

C: Okay, let me tell you now then. On every page there are a lot of colorful illustrations of astronauts and spaceships and so on. The book is really fun to look at.

S: That’s neat Caramel. So can you describe the book to me in three words?

C: Colorful, factful, and craftful.

S: Okay, I know I have accepted “factful” before even though it is kind of a stretch, but I have never heard of “craftful”.

C: Well, I created it so it now exists. You do know what I mean.

S: Yes, I suppose you mean that the book is a book of paper crafts.

C: Yep. You got it.

S: Okay, let us say it works then. So maybe this is a good time to wrap up the review. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Make Your Own Press-Out Spaceships by David Hawcock and made several of the spaceships already. Here he is posing with Rover the Rover and Kevin the Space Shuttle. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Make Your Own Press-Out Spaceships* by David Hawcock and made several of the spaceships already. Here he is posing with Rover the Rover and Kevin the Space Shuttle.

Caramel reviews The Glorkian Warrior Delivers Pizza by James Kochalka

A few weeks ago, Caramel reviewed Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot by James Kochalka, which was a book the book bunnies received as a review copy. Caramel was quite intrigued by the strange space aliens that inhabited the pages of this quirky little book, and after some searching, was able to lay his paws on the first book about them. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about The Glorkian Warrior Delivers Pizza, published first in 2014. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you finally got to read the very first book about the Glorkian Warrior.

Caramel: Yes, but I am rereading it now. Can we do this later?

S: No, not really.

C: Okay. What do you want to know?

S: Well, first off, tell me what is happening in this book.

C: The Glorkian Warrior and his SuperBackpack get a phone call. It is someone ordering a pizza. The SuperBackpack says it is wrong number, so forget it, but the Glorkian Warrior is kind of crazy, and maybe a bit dumb, too, and he thinks this is his call from Destiny and he should deliver the pizza anyway.

S: I see. That is a funny setup.

C: And that is just the beginning. The rest of the story is just as wacky.

S: Wacky in a good way?

C: Yep. Through the book, all kinds of weird things happen. They travel in space and time, and it is quite funny that the backpack is smarter than its owner.

S: I agree. That is funny!

Caramel is reading The Glorkian Warrior Delivers Pizza by James Kochalka. — Caramel is reading *The Glorkian Warrior Delivers Pizza* by James Kochalka.

S: So it seems like you really enjoyed reading this book.

C: Yes. It is really colorful and fun.

S: So are the Glorkian Warrior and the SuperBackpack the only two characters?

C: No. They meet a big pink giant along the way, but it turns out it was a baby in a giant suit. And that is actually Gonk from Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot. And they also see the Magic Robot.

S: That is cool! Okay, tell me more about the illustrations.

C: The illustrations are very colorful. The Glorkian Warrior and Gonk are both pink, so there is a lot of pink, but the background is blue and purple a lot. And also there is a weird alien that they rescue, and that is green.

S: So a few select and bold colors, right? Not much shading and so on?

C: Yes, that is true. The colors are not shaded. Everything is one whole color.

S: I think it makes the pictures look somewhat simpler but also maybe easier to read. You know I have a lot of difficulty with graphic novels, but this one seems like I could read it easily. The writing is also relatively large.

C: Yes, it is quite large. So maybe you can read it Sprinkles.

S: Hmm, should I? Is it not too childish for me?

C: Maybe but I think you will enjoy it because it is quite funny, and the Glorkian Warrior is sometimes pretty silly.

S: Okay, I will do that then.

C: Now I want to read more. But maybe we should look into the Glork Patrol books. The Glorkian Warrior seemed a bit smarter in Glork Patrol and the Magic Robot.

S: Hmm, maybe he grows more mature through these adventures.

C: Maybe. Who knows?

S: Okay, we will see what we can find. So let us wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Glorkian Warrior Delivers Pizza by James Kochalka and wants to know more about these wacky space adventurers. — Caramel loved reading *The Glorkian Warrior Delivers Pizza* by James Kochalka and wants to know more about these wacky space adventurers.

Caramel reviews Kepler’s Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships by Jake Parker

A few months ago Sprinkles heard about a Kickstarter project initiated by Jake Parker for a book about spaceships. Knowing how much Caramel loves spaceships (see, for example, his review of Star Trek: Ships of the Line by Doug Drexler, Margaret Clark, and Michael Okuda), Sprinkles decided that they would back the project. Just last week, the book finally arrived in the mail, and Caramel was delighted. Below, he shares his thoughts about Kepler’s Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, after months of waiting, you finally have Kepler’s Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships under your paws! How does it feel?

Caramel: Great!

S: So tell me about the book. What is in it?

C: Spaceships, spaceships, spaceships! (I’m trying to sound like the spaceship guy in The Lego Movie.)

S: I see. And I of course know the book has spaceships in it, because I know its title, but I wanted to know what kinds of spaceships.

C: All kinds.

S: Real spaceships?

C: No. Fake ones, obviously.

S: So they are all inventions of the creator, Jake Parker, right?

C: Yes. And they are all very cool. My favorite one is Zahhak; I think it looks the best.

S: Tell me more.

C: The Zahhak is an attack fighter. The full model is called XAF-9 Zahhak. It’s 13 meters long and has a crew of two pilots. It can have a variety of weapons, and it is powered by two Thrasos Engines. And it was created by the Xovax system.

S: Wait! All of those are made up, right? I mean, there is no real thing called a Thrasos Engine, or a star or planet system named Xovax, right?

C: True, but that is also why this is an awesome book! There are so many spaceships Jake Parker thought up and drew, and they are all so cool!

S: So let me see if I get it right: there are many many fictional ships the author / illustrator created, and it is kind of a guide book of these.

C: Yes. But I think some of the guide is incomplete. The ship Alastor is supposed to be a heavy weapons fighter, but the entry for its armament is empty. Which can’t be, because it is a fighter, and is supposed to have weapons of some sort.

S: Hmm, maybe the guide is created by this Kepler guy and he does not have full information.

C: Yes, Kepler does seem to have full information on all the enemy ships, even though he has not seen all of them. But maybe he does not know the Alastor very well.

S: Okay. So tell me a bit more about Kepler. What or who is he?

C: He is a ship repair person, working in Spartha’s North Quadrant, probably a made-up place, but sounds cool. And he knows a lot about ships.

S: He is named after a famous scientist; did you know about Johannes Kepler?

C: No.

S: Well, Kepler is one of the fathers of modern astronomy. He lived around the same time as Galileo and developed the laws of planetary motion. He also did some work in optics, and that was useful for telescopes. And his work led to Isaac Newton‘s development of the laws of gravitation and all that good stuff.

C: That’s cool! But I don’t think the Kepler in the book is a human, or even a bunny. He looks more like an alien.

S: I thought he also looked a bit like some of the characters in the Beast Academy books.

C: Yes, kind of. The book is very colorful, also like those books. But those books have a definite disadvantage against this one. They have no spaceships!

S: Totally agreed, Caramel. Though I do like the Beast Academy books, they are mainly for math learning fun. They are not for learning about amazing spaceships like this one.

C: Exactly.

Caramel is reading Kepler's Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships by Jake Parker. — Caramel is reading *Kepler’s Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships* by Jake Parker.

S: Before looking over this book, I really did not know much about Jake Parker. But I think you would actually enjoy some of his other work too. He wrote a really sweet book about a little robot who makes friends with a sparrow.

C: Yes, we found a librarian reading it on YouTube; it is a neat book. Maybe we can put a link to it here?

S: Sure. Here it is:

OML Story Time: Little Bot and Sparrow by Jake Parker, read by Hadassah (YouTube video).

C: I really like this story. You know I like robots, too, maybe as much as I like spaceships.

S: Do you like robots or spaceships more?

C: Hmm, I can’t choose. I love them both.

S: I know. It is a hard choice. And this little robot is very cute. Jake Parker says he was influenced in his art a lot by Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, and you can see it a bit in the pages of the book, right?

C: Yes, not at all in the Spaceships book, but I can definitely see some of it in Little Bot and Sparrow. And maybe after this review I can go and reread some Calvin and Hobbes.

S: Yes, of course. Marshmallow has already reviewed our copy of The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury. And you can definitely read it again.

C: I might. But then again, maybe I will continue to look over the spaceships in this book.

S: I know, right? I think you won’t get tired of this book for a while.

C: True. One can never get tired of spaceships, and one can never have too many spaceships. So no, I won’t get tired of this book at all.

S: That’s great Caramel. So let us wrap up this review. Can you describe the book in three words before we do that?

C: Colorful spaceship fun.

S: I like that description! Okay, what do you want to tell our readers then?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Kepler's Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships by Jake Parker and will surely spend many many more hours looking at the pictures of this book in the coming weeks and months. — Caramel loved reading *Kepler’s Intergalactic Guide to Spaceships* by Jake Parker and will surely spend many many more hours looking at the pictures of this book in the coming weeks and months.

Caramel reviews Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington

Today Caramel talks about Wafles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM, by Drew Brockington. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

The book bunnies received this book as a review copy.

Caramel reviews Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington. — Caramel reviews *Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM* by Drew Brockington.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell us a bit about this book.

Caramel: This book is about two cats named Pancake and Waffles. Pancake is Waffles’s sister I think.

S:So what happens to them? Do they go to a planetarium?

C: Yes. They go to a science museum and there is a planetarium there. They go with their father, and they see the dino-cats and the saber tooth tiger …

S: Wait, what is a dino-cat?

C: Basically dinosaurs, but they are cats too.

S: So maybe prehistoric cats?

C: I guess so.

S: Then what happens?

C: They go to watch Hairballs in 4D.

S: So is that a film?

C: Yes, They always have these types of movies in science centers, so this is one of those. Then they go to the planetarium, and they look at the skies and so on, but then they get separated from their dad. And they are really worried.

S: That does sound like it could be scary.

C: Yes. Then they talk to someone who is working there. And in the end, they go to their mom’s home and see some constellations in the night sky and they can recognize them!

S: Wait, so they eventually find their dad?

C: Yes, of course. Otherwise this would not be a funny book, it would be tragic.

S: I understand. So the book is funny then?

C: Yes. Their dad asks them their favorite part of the trip to the museum and apparently it was lunch!

S: That is quite funny!

C: And there are other funny parts too. It is a funny book!

Caramel is reading Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington. — Caramel is reading *Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM* by Drew Brockington.

S: So then funny would be one of your words to describe the book. What other words would you use?

C: Funny, colorful, and … easy to read.

S: Yes, you did read it fast.

C: It was fun so I read it quickly.

S: So were there some facts about space in the book too? It kind of seemed like that to me.

C: Yes some but not as much as some other books, like the Narwhal and Jelly books have a lot more facts. But this did have some facts.

S: Any that was new to you?

C: It takes 27.32 days for the moon to orbit the earth.

S: You might have kind of known it takes about a month but not the exact time, right?

C: That’s right. They also talk about meteorites and such but I knew about those before. They also talk about Neil Pawstrong, which is the cat version of Neil Armstrong, the first human on the moon.

S: That is cool! I saw that other words were cat-ified, too…

C: Yes, like fur-ever, when the kitty siblings are worried they might have to live forever at the museum because they lost their dad, they say “we might have to live here fur-ever” instead.

S: Would you like to live at a museum?

C: No. All the dinosaur skeletons would freak me out, especially at night.

S: I undertand.

C: Wouldn’t you be scared of a museum full of dinosaurs at night?

S: I guess I would.

C: But reading this book, I also learned that there are other books with Waffles the cat, and he is a CatStronaut.

S: What is that?

C: The cat version of an astronaut I think. So there are apparently a lot of other books about the adventures of Waffles when he is a grown cat and an astronaut.

S: Sounds like you are curious …

C: Yes, I am! I want to read more about Waffles …

S: Hmm, we will see if we can get your paws on some of them some day. But for now, what would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies reviews!

Caramel really enjoyed reading Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington, and is looking forward to reading some of the earlier books about the adventures of CatStonauts. — Caramel really enjoyed reading *Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM* by Drew Brockington, and is looking forward to reading some of the earlier books about the adventures of CatStonauts.