4 out of 4 stars
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Sock is in the company of some dirty clothes that are on their way down the hall, eager to get cleaned up again. They all want to stay in the laundry hamper for as little time as possible, as time in the hamper meant time away from their owner Grayson, who kept going on exciting adventures all the time. And finally, the wait comes to an end and they happily leap into the washing machine to get cleaned up. Sock tries to follow suit, but no! He gets stuck in the hamper’s Velcro! Author Russell Delk tells the story of a little sock and the lessons that he learns in The Adventure of Smelly Sock.
The main character of the book—Sock—is a little kid’s sock that gets separated from the rest of the laundry and panics due to the sudden loneliness. He just wants to get back to Grayson’s foot so that he can go back on another adventure. After much struggle, Sock disengages from the aforementioned Velcro and starts wandering around Grayson’s home. He thus starts discovering rooms that he had never noticed before.
Sock stumbles upon appliance after appliance in the house and asks them for Grayson’s whereabouts. All the appliances are nice and helpful but before they get to helping Sock out, they smell the stink surrounding the little guy—all thanks to the tumble in the washing machine that Sock missed. Thus, they keep redirecting him to other appliances that could possibly help him get rid of the stink and, maybe, lead him to Grayson. Ultimately, Sock figures out that he is fully capable of having adventures by himself without any help from a human foot.
The intentions and themes in this book are uncomplicated and presented in a fun and intelligible manner. Children respond very well to stories about things they get to use every day, and many children love imagining that the fridge, lamp, and vacuum cleaner around them are capable of speaking. Sock met many different home appliances on his adventure. These appliances provided a great amount of insight on how to talk politely and help someone in need. It makes for an interesting and educational story. There isn’t too much detail in the book that could end up confusing young readers, so the book is good enough to hold its readers’ attention. Children between the ages of five and eight might enjoy this story the most.
There are just a couple of punctuation errors in the text. However, I could find no tense inconsistencies or misspelled words. The story comfortably flows from one scene to the next, making it an easy read.
Illustrations are a vital part of any children’s book. The illustrations in this book are really expressive and lively. The story definitely benefits from these pictures.
I couldn’t find anything that the book lacks in and, so, I don’t hesitate in rating it 4 out of 4 stars. The author clearly teaches his readers that they don’t need anyone’s help to find adventures. They are perfectly capable of finding adventures on their own. The book also serves up a good lesson on empathy and compassion.
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The Adventure of Smelly Sock
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