4 out of 4 stars
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Puffy and the Formidable Foe is a sweet and simple fictional story written by Ann M. Hannon, Marie G. Lepkowski, and Margaret B. Hannon. This is an illustrated book for children which certainly qualifies as an excellent moral storybook. Described as an “amazing cat” in the story, Puffy ventures out on his own from home to hunt for a rat. Excited about his new mini-expedition, he pokes his head into a hole, but to his utter surprise and dismay, all that appears out of it is nothing but a mole.
When he goes off into the woods for resting in the shade of “mushroom hoods”, he stumbles upon what seems to be him like a whiskered kitten. Puffy the cat is repelled by the creature’s foul odor and regrets this chance meeting.This was because no one ever told him to be wary of the “kitty” who in a reality was a skunk, known to transfer some of his stinky smell to anyone near him.
I really appreciate the way this book conveys a moral message to its readers, primarily children. It tells them how dangerous it is to stray away from home all alone and how it is not advisable for kids to talk to strangers. Puffy’s encounter with the skunk is a metaphorical depiction of this moral message. The outside world which may appear to be a rosy paradise of fun and frolic can also turn out to be an unpleasant place full of perils at times. Evidently, the skunk here is symbolic of the dangers one could be subjected to in such a situation. The scared cat running back home and later rejoicing within the precincts of his own house shows us how he realizes his mistake while exemplifying the idea that home is heaven. There’s no place like home indeed.
The book is composed of hand-drawn illustrations which are really cute and appealing. The text and pictures supplement each other quite well. I would also like to commend the illustrators for the choice of colors which splash beautifully across the pages. Speaking of vocabulary, there are certain words like “elusive” and “obscene”, the meanings of which may have to be explained to children by their parents. Such words have been duly underlined in the book. This book works as a great bedtime story, also because of the lyrical and rhythmic pattern present in the writing. Strong emphasis has been given to the rhyming of lines which makes the writing very coherent.
I am going with a rating of 4 out of 4 stars as I think the book works great as a learning tool for children. There is also a page solely dedicated to the fun activity of coloring which a lot of kids love doing. I would recommend this book to children below the age of ten who are looking forward to entering the world of reading on their own and to parents who enjoy narrating good bedtime stories to kids with an aim to improve their child’s vocabulary. The choice of words in this book will surely pave the way to learning of new words. Parents guiding their little ones with the meaning of some of the words from the book shall prove to be a wonderful help in this enriching learning process.
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Puffy and the Formidable Foe
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