We haven't looked at a classic tale or a story about rabbits for a while, so why don't we kill two birds with one stone.
THREE PROS
*There is some real edge-of-your-seat drama (which helps explain why it has stood the test of time); it's not often that life-and-death situations are presented in your babies' books
*Curiosity might kill the cat, but it almost kills the rabbit too (somehow monkeys are immune to its more perilous side)
*The watercolors might be small, but they are mighty
THREE CONS
*If the bunny knows he can run faster on four legs, why would he run on two for so long
*There is one instance where Beatrix Potter inserts a first-person analysis that, to me, corrupts the flow and would probably be edited out if this book was published today instead of a century ago
*I guess there is an ending, but it is rather strange and includes something about chamomile tea that makes it even stranger
ONE DAD'S OPINION
You probably could have skipped this whole review and still have known that this is a solid addition to any kid's collection. I just assumed it would be a Buy because of the esteem it carries. However, I found enough little holes in the story to make it not automatic. I suppose if you have a wild child or someone that needs to learn to pay attention to parental advice, this might be more of a reason to own it. Otherwise, just visit the library and check it out for a few days.
Buy / BORROW / Donate / Destroy
5 comments:
Yes, this is my most boring review ever. SORRY! I guess Peter Rabbit does not inspire me. Yet another reason it's not a Buy!
Just a suggestion, as I am new to your blog (found it via the 'I love my baby' Facebook page). It would be nice to see the age groups each reviewed book is geared toward. I have a one year old daughter and have many books for her, most of which she loves. However, I have certainly gotten some that are not favorites. I like the idea of reading your reviews for insight, and think it would be nice to know what age the book is for when I begin reading the review. Just an idea.
Amy -- thanks for your input. I definitely want to catalog the age ranges for the books as time goes on. As a new dad with a child under one, I am not quite sure what books are best at what ages. Once I start to see which books are no longer appropriate for him, I'll be better equipped to put my stamp on which books to pull out when!!
Good suggestion, Amy. MysteryGuy--maybe Amazon has this on their book pages? There's also some site that has this but I forget the name. Still, I'm sure you can Google it!
Ms. Leader:
If I can't think of a better age-defining metric, I will definitely take your advice. But something tells me I will want to create my own age brackets to keep this blog completely independent of the possible biases of the publishing world.
PS: I have heard only wonderful things about your new book "Nice & Mean." I cannot wait for its arrival this summer!!!
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