Official Review: The Adventures of the Happy Schnauzer Kl...

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Manang Muyang
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Official Review: The Adventures of the Happy Schnauzer Kl...

Post by Manang Muyang »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Adventures of the Happy Schnauzer Klaus" by Terry E Gunn.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Klaus, a miniature schnauzer, has gone to doggie heaven. Terry Gunn wrote this book (titled Adventures of Klaus, the Happy Schnauzer, based on the PDF copy) to immortalize her beloved pet. It is the story of a typical day for Klaus from waking up with Mr. Sun to ending the day in his comfortable bed. Join Klaus as he bonds with the neighborhood squirrel, plays ball at the park, and dances for treats.

I enjoyed this engaging picture book of 39 pages which clearly displayed the author’s love for her pet. The story is mostly told by Klaus, although some pages are in a different voice. The illustrations are charming, and they will delight the young reader (and the older ones, too). The toddler will see that a typical day for Klaus mirrors a typical day for a preschool child. The reader will find simple yet valuable lessons in the book: eat right, celebrate friends, and be grateful at the day’s end. The text is written in very clear font using entertaining rhymes. A game of spotting certain items adds to the fun.

While the book is wonderful as is, there is room for improvement. Some illustrations do not agree with the accompanying text. There are also inconsistencies in the drawings. Sometimes Klaus is missing his blue collar; the collar has his name on only two pages. Klaus’ bedroom is obviously different on page 33. The author uses the same picture for waking up and for preparing for bed; this may confuse a young reader. A few pictures, those on pages 13 to 15 in particular, need more color and variety. The two photographs of Klaus look similar; I recommend using different shots and even adding a couple more.

As this is a children’s book, it needs better grammar, too. The errors are usually punctuation and capitalization issues which may be corrected in a jiffy. A glossary might be helpful to define big and unusual words like “mocking,” “defiance,” “duffle,” and “boogaloo.” It is also unclear why some words are in a different color or font. Consistency in the point of view is likewise welcome.

I give this lovely book 3 out of 4 stars and look forward to the improved version very soon. Young children, whether or not they have pets, will find this book a pleasurable adventure. We older folks will remember pets from the past and the many fond memories we shared with those sweet animals. Don’t we miss them?

******
The Adventures of the Happy Schnauzer Klaus
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Gabe_a66
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Post by Gabe_a66 »

The book isn’t what I though it would be. Starting to read it I began to think the book was written by a beginner author. It’s a children’s book, grammar and consistency in the illustrations is a must. The author need to try to put himself in a child’s shoes and think
how he could improve a book so a child can read it with out being bored. It’s all about the little things you can add or get rid of so a book can be more enjoyable. A 3 out 4 is what i would give the book.
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Post by AvidBibliophile »

It's too bad about the layout and illustration inconsistencies, but I also had a miniature schnauzer as a child, and this story takes me back to those bittersweet days of loving him and losing him. So thank you for helping me recall memories of my sweet Max tonight! I bet kids will like it too.
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Post by Manang Muyang »

Gabe_a66 wrote: 03 Jan 2020, 17:46 The book isn’t what I though it would be. Starting to read it I began to think the book was written by a beginner author. It’s a children’s book, grammar and consistency in the illustrations is a must. The author need to try to put himself in a child’s shoes and think
how he could improve a book so a child can read it with out being bored. It’s all about the little things you can add or get rid of so a book can be more enjoyable. A 3 out 4 is what i would give the book.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Happy New Year!
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Post by Manang Muyang »

AvidBibliophile wrote: 04 Jan 2020, 01:54 It's too bad about the layout and illustration inconsistencies, but I also had a miniature schnauzer as a child, and this story takes me back to those bittersweet days of loving him and losing him. So thank you for helping me recall memories of my sweet Max tonight! I bet kids will like it too.
Yes, I too remembered my only dog ever. He was a gift, so I had to fight my fear of bites all the while. I named him Puppy (how creative!).
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Post by kandscreeley »

This seems like a cute children's book, but it's clear that it needs more work. I dislike errors in kid's books and the inconsistencies would be annoying. Thanks for your thoughts.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
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Post by Manang Muyang »

kandscreeley wrote: 05 Jan 2020, 11:13 This seems like a cute children's book, but it's clear that it needs more work. I dislike errors in kid's books and the inconsistencies would be annoying. Thanks for your thoughts.
I am sure the author can and will work things out for Klaus. Thanks for the visit.
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Post by kdstrack »

Kids love stories about animals. This one sounds like it reaches several age levels. I liked your dog's name! Speaking of creative names for a pet: we had a cat that we named Kiki!!
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Post by Manang Muyang »

kdstrack wrote: 05 Jan 2020, 19:09 Kids love stories about animals. This one sounds like it reaches several age levels. I liked your dog's name! Speaking of creative names for a pet: we had a cat that we named Kiki!!
Whoa! Your cat's name is vulgar in Filipino, LOL! Thanks for dropping by and liking my Puppy love.
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Post by Mbrooks2518 »

This sounds like a really cute book. Hopefully the author makes the necessary changes to make it a 4 star book. Thanks for the great review!
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Post by Manang Muyang »

Mbrooks2518 wrote: 05 Jan 2020, 23:06 This sounds like a really cute book. Hopefully the author makes the necessary changes to make it a 4 star book. Thanks for the great review!
I hope so, too, in loving memory of Klaus and his furry brethren. Thanks for the kind words.
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Post by Adina Lutinger »

Seems like such a great and adorabe book. I absolutly love the fact that the author wrote this book to
immortalize his beloved pet, and I also like the lessons that the author chose to include in his book. Thanks for the great review!
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Post by Rayasaurus »

The concept of this book seems adorable! It's so unfortunate that some mechanical things seem to be lacking. Thank you for the review!
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Post by Manang Muyang »

SomeoneInTheWorld wrote: 07 Jan 2020, 07:43 Seems like such a great and adorabe book. I absolutly love the fact that the author wrote this book to
immortalize his beloved pet, and I also like the lessons that the author chose to include in his book. Thanks for the great review!
Indeed even pets can teach us lessons. Arf arf!
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Manang Muyang
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Post by Manang Muyang »

Rayasaurus wrote: 07 Jan 2020, 14:39 The concept of this book seems adorable! It's so unfortunate that some mechanical things seem to be lacking. Thank you for the review!
The author has been working on improving the book for a while now. Just a little more and it will be perfect as Klaus's memoir.
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