2 out of 4 stars
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I give this book a rating of 2 out of 4 stars because of several reasons. I'm not sure why the word formidable would be used in a young child's book for one. If the book is to enrich the vocabulary, I would personally think it best to have the vocabulary level at least close to the child's age. This includes the title, not just the book itself.
Puffy learns a lesson after accidentally getting too close to a foe. He learns to stay away from that species and all ends happily. He even posts a sign to keep the foes away.
The book's illustrations are cute. They seem more realistic as if someone had actually sketched them at home instead of the perfect pictures I sometimes see in books that only the best of the best artists could have drawn. I also like the coloring page at the end to reward kids for either good reading, learning rhyming words, or any other good behavior shown.
The book allows children to pick out words that rhyme, which I feel is also important to their learning of words and meanings. Most of the words in the book are at a young child's level, which is a positive factor - as opposed to what I mentioned about the title. The book itself is also short enough that a child could either memorize it or read it back to you after learning the words.
I'm not against the book itself. I find it rather cute. My biggest issue is that I'm not excactly sure I understand the moral of the story. I think I know basically what the authors were trying to get across, but I'm not 100% sure. I also don't understand the meaning of putting a keep out sign in the yard. I'm not sure what information children are to learn from that.
And if I as an adult cannot determine the moral of this story, I'm not sure how we as parents are supposed to pass that information to our children.
I'm also not certain if this is a do not approach strangers theme, but said in a different way. Or possibly that this is supposed to teach children about the consequences of wandering off? Some children might even come to think that they should stay away from mushrooms, since Puffy was near them just prior to encountering her Foe. The book's direction is just very confusing, in my opinion.
The reason I did not rate this as a one is because children may like this book, as well as some parents may find it to be the right length for a quick story at naptime or what have you.
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Puffy and the Formidable Foe
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