4 out of 4 stars
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The adventurous story of Puffy and the Formidable Foe by Marie G. Lepkowski, Ann M. Hannon, and Margaret B. Hannon is a very brief children’s book. This work of fiction was also illustrated by Ann M. Hannon and Margaret B. Hannon. The tale is about an exploratory cat that went hunting for a rat, or at least that’s how the story began. At the end of the adventure Puffy’s final choice of words were, “there’s no place like home.” What could have possibly happened to Puffy?
Puffy portrays an amazing cat with a sense of innocence. One day the amazing cat decided to go hunting for a rat. During the search Puffy peeked into a hole and came across a wild rodent, but is this the rodent that he was looking for? After some time hunting Puffy scampers further into the woods. Little does he know of the danger ahead of him. The conflict between the mysterious foe Puffy came up against surely became a life changing experience for him. Consequently, an experience that forced his owner to use a “yucky” substance to make it all go away.
The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the word “formidable” in the title. I’m almost certain the first time a child comes across this word they’ll ask what it means, which is a good thing. I believe once the definition of the word is explained to the young reader it’ll give them a better perception of Puffy, allowing them to soak into the story more. Which is very important for young readers to read a story that's not too hard to follow. It was the perfect word to describe Puffy.
Throughout the book the pictures were simple and colorful. The pictures were even able to bring out the inner child in me, which is rare. The authors arranged each word at the end of each sentence to rhyme. The selection of most of the rhyming words that were used were appealing to me. Some of the words were quite easy and some of the others were a little more difficult, which is also a good learning technique. In the introductory area of the book, the authors explain how the book is an interactive-tool that can be used in a variety of ways, and left their email address ([email protected]) for the audience to request a free list of the big words to encourage a rich vocabulary. At the end of the book the authors leave a blank picture of Puffy to color as a reward which is only to be done after the discussion of the story is completed. The audience can also utilize the email address above to request an additional coloring page. Cool!
All in all, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Once writing this review I came to appreciate the work even more once I actually dissected the construction of the story. I rate Puffy and the Formidable Foe 4 out of 4 stars, mainly because on top of it being a great tale, it can be used over and over in a variety of ways. Personally, the message I gained from this story is how dangerous it can be to wander off alone. I think it’s an awesome learning tool and finally, the authors were very thoughtful several times.
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Puffy and the Formidable Foe
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