The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop: Poops you find on a sniffari, or, what I ate before my butler could stop me!
Because The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Manang Muyang
That title made me chuckle. The cover could have been better, but as I am a fan of kiddie picture books, I would have sampled the book even outside the program. Alas, the sample was too short! I would have wanted at least two more pages. The only text page contained the dedication. I was sad to note errors, which was what I noticed with the blurb too. Here are some of the errors: The ampersand should be avoided. "And to Becky for helping to wrangle us and feeding us snacks, we love snacks" should have used parentheses to enclose "we love snacks." "You pesky beagles" should have been preceded by a comma. I liked the concept of presenting the dogs as the authors, who dictated the book to their butler. However, I will not buy the book because I do not have children to share it with. The complimentary official OBC review had no influence on my decision not to join the beagles' sniffari. I have the following recommendations: a more exciting cover, a longer sample, and better editing.
First Ten review added on June 11, 2023, at 4:10 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sou Hi
Without this program, I wouldn't have read this. The official review from OnlineBookClub, the cover, and the blurb are fine, but the book's premise is not my cup of tea. Besides, the ratings on Amazon are not very good.
Amazon's sample has only the cover and an introductory page, so I don't know or like anything. I'm not sure if the editing is alright, but I would suggest bigger font sizes. I find the current ones hard to read. Since the sample can't pique my interest, I won't buy it. The OBC review is alright, but I made my decision after sampling the book.
First Ten review added on June 11, 2023, at 2:39 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Damian Keyes
At first, reading the book's title, I did not know what I was getting myself into with this story. I'm glad I read the OBC official review because it provided clarity to my apprehension about buying this book. I am a dog lover, so if I was not in this program, I would have bought this adorable read as a book for my newborn niece. I was able to access the Amazon sample of "The Very Hungry Beagles Guide" and I admire the liveliness of these illustrations by Ros Webb. I just love a colorful children's book that's appealing to the eye. I found no errors or anything I hated about this book. I'm going to buy this book because I want to meet these other animals that were mentioned in the OBC official review.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 11:39 pm by Damian Keyes.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shrabastee Chakraborty
Had I not been a part of this program, I still would have read the book based on the genre, the OBC review, and other published reviews. I found no errors in the excerpt. The beagles introduced us to the members of their family, including their 'grandbutlers', cousins, and the butler. I liked the humor when they clearly disagreed with the general idea of what was edible. I also loved the colorful illustrations. I had no reason to suggest improvements. Based on my reading experience, I would read the whole book.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 10:57 pm by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, title, or customer reviews. While I do sometimes like finding new kids books for my children, this one about the dogs and poop didn't seem like something I would want to read with them. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be finishing this book. One of the first things that would have caused me not to buy this book is the fact that the sample doesn't contain any content. I understand not giving away the whole book in the sample, but at least include a page of text. I was able to sample more of the book because I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. Based on this sample, I still won't be finishing this book. The text is small and difficult to read in Kindle, even on my computer, which is the biggest device I own. This could use improvement. I also wasn't into the scoring system of poop. Kids might have a blast with it, but I don't really want to be the one reading it with them. There weren't any errors within the book so far, so I would say it was professionally edited. I did like the illustrations.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 10:02 pm by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shanesha Sammerson
The OBC review and Amazon summary were very interesting, but not enough to make me want to read it. I would not buy it because the sample was too short to make a judgment about the book. I did enjoy the lovely book cover and the dedication on the first page written from the view of the dogs. What I disliked was the title. As a parent I would not buy a book about dogs and poop for my children to read. I found no errors.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 7:38 pm by Shanesha Sammerson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jennifer Coxon
I would not have sampled this book were I not in the programme because I don't currently have children. However, I found the cover attractive based on the illustrations and the title is intriguing enough to catch my attention.
After reading the initial pages I wouldn't buy the book currently, but would answer differently if I had children the right age. I like the illustrations. I also like the story even though it can be disgusting, because it is also funny. I can imagine reading it with children pulling faces and reacting to the disgusting bits in a funny way. There's nothing I didn't like in the initial pages. I found no errors.
The OBC review helped understand the story further, although it wasn't going to change my mind about reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 7:04 pm by Jennifer Coxon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Omneya Shakeep
"The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop" by M. Jackson, Lucky, Mr. Beckham, and Peanut is an interesting children's book. The book title and subject are unusual and creative, which caught my attention. The book cover is colorful. The blurb intensified my curiosity about the author's method of presenting the subject. With all the previous aspects combined with the high rating and recommendation of the OBC review, I would have sampled the book out of curiosity. The few pages I read had beautifully colored illustrations, and I didn't find any errors in them. The author used the beagle's sense of smell to talk about different animals, their eating habits, and the difference in their smell. I think the author's approach is original. However, I do not think it is suitable for children younger than 6 years. As it is in the kids' nature to imitate what they learn, I don't think under that age they will be able to differentiate between right and wrong behavior. For this reason, I don't think I would buy this book.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 3:06 pm by Omneya Shakeep.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Diana Lowery
I like the cute cover, but I thought the subtitle was strange. I was surprised that the blurb had a range from kindergarten to 12th grade. Even though the OBC review was positive, I was not convinced to read the book. The sample was too short so I did not find any errors. I did not like the picture of the dog eating the pile of poop. I am not going to finish reading the book. I know that dogs eat gross things, but I am not interested in reading about it.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 11:51 am by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
I will not buy and read this book today because of the small font on my Kindle copy. My suggestion to the author is to go for a much bigger sized font for comfortable reading. I would not have read the sample outside The First Ten program because the cover, title, and genre barely influenced me. I liked Butler's advice about non-edible things. I learned that Butler was telling beagles about non-edible things. This children's book needs a round of professional editing because I found a few grammatical mistakes in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Butler says No - rotten fish and compost are NOT edible things you pesky beagles!" This sentence could have been as follows. "Butler says No - rotten fish and compost are NOT edible things, you pesky beagles!" I found a few customers reviews praising this book but could not find any editorial reviews. The OBC official review inspired me to read the sample.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 11:24 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Saima Rahman
The title seems very funny and unique. I am not going to read the book further because it is not very interesting, and I didn't enjoy the gross parts. I didn't find any errors. I like the premise, but the use of difficult words like “invertebrates” is not easy for children. It is a funny book, but it is too gross with so many categories and detailed description of poop. The OBC review helped me make my decision as well.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 10:17 am by Saima Rahman.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Pauline Parnell
I would not have read the book's sample pages if I had not been enrolled in this program. I did not like the book’s topic. Not only that, but I thought it was a bit long for a children’s book. I would not purchase the book or read it through after reading the first ten pages. The writer's focus on poop was a bit nauseating. There were no apparent errors in the text. I like that the dogs (amazing animals) were the subject of the book. Also, I found the illustration impressive. The use of colors was complementary. However, a different font could have been used. One that was more readable and friendlier for the children. The OBC evaluation was positive, but it had no bearing on my decision.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 5:30 am by Pauline Parnell.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
OTrain Disene
The first ten pages didn’t say much about the book. All I could deduce was that the two dogs were on some sort of adventure. What I loved about the bit I read was that the illustrations were very bright and engaging. They were spit on to capture the essence of the dogs and how they were feeling at that time. I disliked that the story took time to develop. I will not be reading this book because it is a children’s book and not for me. Looking at the cover and title, I would not have picked this book if it weren’t for the programme. But it looked professionally edited because I detected no errors. The official OBC review didn’t influence my decision.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 4:04 am by OTrain Disene.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rowan The-First
The design of the book's cover is not unique. If I were not on this program, the things that would make me take a look at this book are its title and description because they promise something unique and informative. After reading some portion of this book, I have decided not to buy it because it is illustrated, and I do not enjoy such books. However, I found it amusing that this book has some humor as the idea of analyzing poop itself seems funny. Also, I have nothing to dislike about the part I have read. The OBC review is excellent and informative about the contents of the book.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 3:30 am by Rowan The-First.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vidhi Adhikari
The book makes a decent first impression with its attractive cover design, straightforward title, detailed description, and multiple customer and OBC reviews. Since the book is a children's book, I was reluctant to read the sample. The OBC review spoke about poop, which piqued my interest. That said, I loved the simple writing style of the author. There were some minor grammatical errors, but nothing that would affect my reading experience (to our cousins Charlotte & Olivia for sharing their PB&J sammies: {replace with comma} and to Becky for helping to wrangle us and feeding us snacks). Sadly, since the book was not available for purchase on Amazon in India, I won't be able to buy and read it. I have no suggestions because had the book been available, I would have enjoyed reading it.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 3:03 am by Vidhi Adhikari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Nisha DSouza
The book cover was cute, and the title was funny. I was doubtful if I would enjoy the book as the blurb mentioned different types of poop. There were a few positive Amazon customer comments. The official OBC review was well-written. The sample pages, at times, made me laugh and sometimes cringe at a gross description of poop. It is a funny book that children will find quite unique and intriguing. The only recommendation to the author is to increase the font size. I do not find this topic fascinating, so I will not buy this book. I found no errors in the first ten pages.
First Ten review added on June 10, 2023, at 1:47 am by Nisha DSouza.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ari Martinez
If it wasn't for this program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, genre, blurb, OnlineBookClub review, or other reviews because this book is for children, and I don't have any children. My favorite part of the sample was that even the dedication was written from the perspective of the dogs. I thought it was a nice touch because many young kids will truly believe that the dogs wrote it. After reading the sample, I will not read the whole book because I am not a parent, and I don't work with children. I can't think of any way to improve the book, and I didn't find any errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 10:01 pm by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Hazel Mae Bagarinao
I don't skip any children's books. I love the watercolor drawings on the cover of this book. The title sounds predictable, although it doesn't change my mind about investigating more about the book. The blurb was well-detailed; thus, I know a little bit about the Beagles—Mr. Beckham and Lucky with their close friends, Peanut and Watson. The editorial review was amazingly written, capturing the humor and essence of the book. I've seen four mixed reactions in Amazon customer reviews, which open up more about the book. For all the above reasons, I researched more about the book. I've read a glimpse of the story in the author section on Amazon, but I am a little disappointed that the book is not free to sample or even a free book. I haven't sampled the book, but I've seen one page as provided on Amazon. The blurb and editorial review are enough for me to know what the overall story is. What I am missing are the beautiful illustrations, but I already know their style as they are painted in watercolor. After searching for all of what I previously said, I would love to buy or read the whole book, as I want to see more of its illustrations. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't sampled the book as I don't have Kindle Unlimited and the book is not free to sample on Amazon. I can't say whether there are errors or not. What I like are the watercolor drawings and the humorous story. I know that the Beagles explored different types of poop and their texture, smell, taste, and rarity. What I dislike is the complex wording the author used on some occasions, as the OBC reviewer stated. For this reason, I suggest that it be edited or revised. Yes, the OBC review is incredibly well written, and the book is easy to imagine. Therefore, I'd like to buy it.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 7:53 pm by Hazel Mae Bagarinao.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kelsey Roy
I was not initially intrigued by the cover or title of “The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop by M. Jackson, Lucky, Mr. Beckham, Peanut” because it is a children’s book. I don’t have kids, so I wouldn’t pick this book up to read. However, I think the illustration on the cover is adorable, and I’m sure most children would find poop-sniffing beagles hilarious. The title is too long for my liking, and I think it could be cut off after “poop” while still making sense. The blurb and OBC review discuss dogs’ sense of smell and how these two beagles go on a ‘sniffari.’ This book sounds perfect for parents of young children.
Unfortunately, the Kindle sample cut off after the dedication page, so I couldn’t search for grammatical errors or read any plot. I enjoyed the illustrations I could see, and the simple drawing style is well-suited to the beagles’ narrative. I recommend allowing more of the book to be available via the Kindle sample so potential readers can get an idea of the topics. I also recommend a shorter title for ease of identification. I found nothing to dislike aside from not being able to access more of the book! I will not purchase this title because I do not have children.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 6:54 pm by Kelsey Roy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Olga Markova
But for the First Ten, I would have sampled this book because its cover, title, genre, blurb, and editorial and customer reviews suggest that it is a book about dogs and their sniffaris, and I love dogs. Sampling the first ten pages, I liked the illustrations, the humour, and the educational and animal-loving spirit of this book. I did not find errors and have no suggestions for improvement. After reading the first ten pages, I will buy and read the whole book because I love dogs and I liked the sample. The OBC review was very informative and positive and confirmed my decision to read this book.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 5:42 pm by Olga Markova.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Nemanja Jankovic
The book's cover and title are both intriguing but also disturbing, and I would not choose to read it based on them. I read the Official OnlineBookClub review, the blurb, and the customer reviews, but they did not influence my decision. There were no editor reviews that I could find. I'm not going to read the book because I'm not in the mood to read children's books at the moment. I found no errors or typos while reading the book, thus it appears to have been professionally edited. I like the new word sniffari, which is a blend of the words safari and sniff. I don't think children are ready to comprehend that dogs are interested in poop because of their acute sense of smell and means of marking territory, and I believe the book may be better if those components were corrected.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 4:38 pm by Nemanja Jankovic.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
"The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop" is a children's book written by Jackson, Lucky, Mr. Beckham, Peanut. The book revolves around Lucky, Mr. Beckham, and Peanut, three fun-loving beagles. The story is narrated from the perspective of the dogs. They talk about all the adventures to go on under the supervision of their butler. I like the pictures. Also, I like how the book is written from the dogs' perspective. I found no errors. The OBC review is helpful. I would have read this book based on the cover, title, genre, customer reviews, editorial reviews, and blurb as I like the premise. The book seems fun. So, I will continue reading this book.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 4:32 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chinazo Anozie
I knew I wouldn’t be interested in this book from the title, cover, description, genre, customer reviews, and the official OnlineBookClub review. I don’t read children’s books, so I won’t buy and read this book. However, I loved that the author gave the dogs voices in this book; it was a very creative and fun way to do so. It’ll also help kids feel like the story is coming directly from the dogs. I also enjoyed the humour, especially when the butler inserted his anecdotes to the dogs’ tales. This book seems professionally edited because I didn’t notice any typos. I don’t think anything needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 4:20 pm by Chinazo Anozie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Amy Luman
I didn’t like that the font was so small, but I did enjoy the illustrations. The cover was a beautiful drawing and watercolor of beagles, but the title was just gross. I am not going to read the book because of that and because it’s a children’s book. There were no editorial reviews, but the customers gave it a good rating for the most part, and the OBC reviewer recommended it. There’s nothing that I would change since I think that everything is just as the author intended it. I did learn, on the page about chicken poop, that chickens don’t pee. I didn’t know that!
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 3:19 pm by Amy Luman.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rodel Barnachea
Upon perusing the title’s official OnlineBookClub review and Amazon page, I decided not to acquire the children’s book. I am not fascinated by the several facts regarding dogs that the book contains. I am not intrigued by the different types of poops that the three beagles are drawn to. I am not interested in learning how the beagles would rate each type of poop based on several factors like smell, taste, texture, and rarity. Sampling the title did not change my mind. I would not acquire it because nothing in the sample had me wanting to go over the rest of the title. My favorite part is the colorful illustrations included in the book. I was not able to note any errors in the Amazon sample; the book seems professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 2:13 pm by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Donna Walker
The title of this book made me laugh out loud. What a strange book to write! Well, it's certainly unique! We all know that some dogs love poop, but do we really need to write about it for children to read? The last thing we want is for children to become "poo curious" and start to play with it too. I found the print really small for a children's book, and the font was hard to read. Having said that, this was an enjoyable read, and I found it very humorous. I love the watercolour pictures. They are very well done. It's a shame the print is so hard to read! I found five errors, perhaps it has not been professionally edited? The review on OBC was really good, as were the reviews on Amazon. This is not a book that I would normally pick up based on the genre, as I do not have children, and I would not have known about it if not for OBC. I thank the author for the free download. I would not normally have bought and read this book, but I will read it again with my friend's little girl. No doubt she will love it, and I'm becoming quite popular now that I have children's books!
Error pg 6: "We shared food with them, and they followed us round the garden." [around]
Error pg 6: "Consistently gloopy and everywhere"[.] missing period.
Error pg 12: "You can generally find their poop under the trees in the yard, they're like short chunky choccy bars of fruity, composty goodness." [yard;] [short,chunky,]
Error pg 14 &18: Butler is spelled with a capital letter as a name in the whole book, apart from instances in the first sentence on page 14, where it is in lower case, and again on page 18. "A sweet smell that butler doesn't mind at all." [Butler]
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 2:10 pm by Donna Walker.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Emy Katherine
I love reading children's books, but I would not have sampled and read the book without this program. The title was eye-catching, and I liked the colorful cover. Although I did not notice any editorial reviews, the book had positive customer reviews and an informative blurb. Unfortunately, I am not interested in reading a book that revolves around the adventures of three beagles as they sniff and eat many types of animal poop. Unsurprisingly, I did not change my mind after reading the OBC review and sampling the book. Because the sample only contained one illustration, I could not say if the book was professionally edited. However, I thoroughly liked the colorful watercolor illustration. All in all, there was nothing that I disliked as I sampled the book, but I would suggest that the author add two or three pages to intrigue and motivate the reader to buy the book.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 1:04 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Eleni Antonopoulou
The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop has a beautiful cover, an intriguing blurb, and a unique title. I was drawn toward this book because I love dogs. Therefore, I was definitely going to sample it! The story is interesting, and the writing style is fluent. The book also features beautiful illustrations for its young audience and has no errors. The OBC review helped me decide to finish the book, highlighting it as unique and educational. I have no criticism against it and look forward to reading it!
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 12:51 pm by Eleni Antonopoulou.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Hazel Arnaiz
The title is quite catchy. It is a book about poop. The blurb mentions dogs eating poop. Although I enjoy children's books, a dog nibbling on excrement does not appeal to me; therefore, I will skip this outside of the program. Feedback from customers includes both positive and negative criticism. My opinion was not changed by sampling. The sample is merely a few pages long. It did not provide sufficient information in the book. It was helpful that the official OnlineBookClub review provided details without offering spoilers. I appreciated how it tackled a subject that is rarely addressed in children's literature. However, the subject is not for me; therefore, I will pass. I have no recommendations for improvement. Likewise, I did not notice editing issues on the sampled pages.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 12:07 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mayang Bature
I was interested to learn how the author intended to teach children about fragrances after reading the official OBC review and description of this book. The book assessed several types of excrement and gave them ratings based on those qualities. I thought this was fun, and I think kids would remember it. I enjoyed everything about the book—from the pictures to the straightforward language—and found nothing to be off-putting. I would have enjoyed reading the book and would still prefer to finish it if I weren't enrolled in this program. I didn't dislike anything in what I read, and I didn't notice any mistakes.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 11:11 am by Mayang Bature.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jorge Leon Salazar
The cover appeals to children, but the title alludes to poop, which may put off some potential readers. The blurb highlights the beagles' propensity to sniff and investigate everything during their walks. Plus, it mentions the book is a guide to the various types of poop encountered. Most customer reviews are favorable. The official OnlineBookClub review indicates that despite the poop theme, the book is fun and educational and utilizes a creative narrative technique. In general, I like children's books. However, I don't have little kids to read them to. Based on the elements mentioned, I am not prone to give this book a chance. The sample is quite brief but allows you to appreciate the magnificent watercolor illustrations that are very attractive to children. The only aspect I believe can be improved is the font. A larger and more eye-catching font would be more appropriate since the target audience is children. The editing seemed adequate, as I didn't notice any details to mention. Although I didn't dislike the subject of poop, what I sampled didn't appeal to me enough. Therefore, I won't be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 11:11 am by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Bertha Jackson
The beautifully illustrated book cover and the title made me laugh and want to read this children’s book. The blurb and OnlineBookClub review increased my interest in this book. There were no editorial reviews to read. I was disappointed when I tried to read the sample and the free copy of the book. No matter how much I increased the font, I could not read the book. The font size and style are too small. One of the customer reviews also mentioned this problem, so I know it is a problem with the book and not my computer. Since I was not able to read the book, I can only comment on the illustrations, which were beautifully and professionally done. The beagles, the rabbit, the chicken, and other animals were realistically drawn. I recommend that the author use a different font style and size to make the book readable. I will not finish reading the free copy of this book because it is unreadable.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 9:43 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
The cover art is gorgeous, the authorship is hilarious, but the title is gross. The neologisms in the blurb are funny, and the concept is original, but I don't want to read a book about poop. Furthermore, the ratings are mixed. Therefore, I wouldn't have bought the book based on my first impressions.
Probably due to the book's brevity, I don't have the first ten pages. The sample consists of just two pages. I just have the dedication, which I think is lovely. There are no editing mistakes there, though it's hard to distinguish punctuation signs in such a strange font. I don't have any suggestions. Based only on this, the sample didn't change my opinion. The official OBC review could have possibly appealed to my love for knowledge and convinced me to read the book if I had a bigger sample.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 9:33 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Timothy Rucinski
As someone who begins each day collecting puppy specimens from the backyard for immediate disposal, this book seemed intriguing. The Official Review was nicely done, and the title and cover would have made me pick up the book for further examination in a bookstore, had I been in the market for a children's book. I didn't read any other reviews or blurbs, and I won't be reading this book because I don't have any little ones in my life at the moment. Unfortunately, I found that the typeface gets lost on the cover as the words are overshadowed by the colorful imagery. And I agree with the Official Reviewer that the typeface is too small for an easy read. Although the pictures were quite colorful and eye-catching, I found them flat and too one-dimensional for my taste. Overall I liked the concept and found it more humorous than I would have expected, given the topic. For example, I never realized that chicken poop smelled almost as good as swan poop. Who knew? The book may have been professionally edited, but it could stand to be proofread at least one more time. On page 4, there is a period missing at the end of the sentence that begins, "Chewy and crunchy..." I think that my only recommendation at this point would be to have the typeface enlarged to make reading a bit easier.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 8:19 am by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Caroline Anne Richmond
This children’s book has an interesting title, The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop. It received a full star review from Online Book Club so I thought this might be a good book for my son.
I thought the cover illustration was attractive and liked the drawings throughout the first ten pages. The book includes educational information about dogs amazing olfactory senses and also about nature. It is also a fun concept that I’m sure kids would have a lot of fun with.
Personally, the poop theme didn’t appeal to me and probably wouldn’t be suitable for my sons age.
I didn’t find any spelling or grammar errors and it is a well laid out book with a fun scoring system.
First Ten review added on June 9, 2023, at 8:10 am by Caroline Anne Richmond.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 23%
The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop earned a score of 23%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 23% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for The Very Hungry Beagles Guide to Poop
