4 out of 4 stars
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Puffy and the Formidable Foe by Marie G. Lepkowski, Ann M. Hannon and Margaret B. Hannon is a short and simple story that follows a cute grey cat as he explores away from home. He was looking for rats, but encounters a smelly skunk! Puffy then has to endure the dreaded bubble bath. I am definitely a cat person, so I liked this book. It’s a very cute story book with a message. I think the message is to warn children of the dangers of straying from home and talking to strangers. This is communicated in a fun way which isn’t upsetting. It provides an opportunity to discuss the subject with your child.
I liked how much effort the creators had put in with the message and moral of the tale. There is a bit at the beginning which prompts you to talk about the events in the story with your child. They have tried to make their book fun and interactive by encouraging the readers to spot the rhyming words. At the end, there is also a colouring-in page with a picture of Puffy.
The book is pretty and colorful which I think is effective at holding a child’s attention. The illustrations are hand drawn and coloured in. Some readers may prefer something a bit more polished or professional, but I personally enjoyed them. I think that some of the pictures do look a little better than others though. It looks like a child could have helped colour the pictures, which I think is nice as it makes it more relatable. It could inspire children to have a go at drawing their own pets.
There are unique choices of words used in the story. I think it is one of the more challenging children’s books that I have read. The text uses rhyme which is clever. This also explains the use of a few more “big” words here and there. There are words such as "formidable" and "regretted" and "obscene", which may be difficult for younger readers, however, if you were reading this to your child it would provide an opportunity to help grow their vocabulary.
I can’t find fault with Puffy and the Formidable Foe, so I would give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I would have liked it to be a bit longer, but it’s not really necessary. At around 10 pages it would be ideal for those with a short attention span. I think it ticks all the boxes of a children’s book. It has cute illustrations, provides a meaningful message, is entertaining, and encourages discussion and learning. I would recommend this book to parents looking for a quick bedtime story or something to read and discuss after school.
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Puffy and the Formidable Foe
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