3 out of 4 stars
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Puffy and the Formidable Foe byMarie G. Lepkowski an Ann M. Hannon is a book about a cat and his adventurous nature. The main characters of the book are Puffy the cat and an unnamed skunk. This book is fast-paced short but keeps the reader engaged throughout. The book starts with a character named Puffy. Puffy decides to go hunting and trapes off into the woods. He pokes his head into a hole and finds a mole. He decides to go to the woods to rest beneath ‘mushroom hoods.’ While playing, he meets a small black and white kitty with a strange odor coming from him. Puffy is forced to endure a hard long bath that he doesn’t enjoy. Puffy learns a lesson about staying put, and how it is not always safe to roam for you do not know the dangers lurking outside the home.
The plot of this was captivating and adventurous. I believe that children can relate and will find it funny and amusing. Parents will be grateful for Puffy's important message. It teaches children the importance of not wandering off by themselves. Like Puffy, they could experience meeting unknown people that could cause them harm.
With a total of 20 pages, Puffy and the Formidable Foe is a very short read. It would be the perfect book for kids that have short attention spans. I was particularly impressed by the introduction of the book. It provides the parents with helpful tips on how to turn this fun adventure into a learning experience. Most authors create a children's story that teaches a lesson typically about behavior or an issue in their life. Along with the theme, this book also teaches them vocabulary they are not familiar with and rhyming words. The book even has a coloring page at the end to reinforce the story.
I was somewhat disappointed with the illustrations of the book. The idea behind the story was good but the illustrations were not that great. Although the illustrations were colorful and large, they didn’t have enough polish. I think some of the language used was very advanced considering the audience. For example, one scene described how Puffy regretted his chance episode. This was describing when the skunk sprayed Puffy. The action wasn’t stated but implied. I believe for the age group, inference is confusing. I also did notice a period was missing on two pages.
I do enjoy a good children's book, the author has plotted it very well. She has given the reader an interesting character to follow with Puffy. I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars and recommend it to people with children aged 5-8. The few mistakes made me give one less star, but overall the book is still good quality.
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Puffy and the Formidable Foe
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