children – The Constellation of Moon

Moon Reads: The Artic Fox

Posted on December 24, 2024

The Artic Fox by Holly Webb Illustrated by David Dean

Rating:

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

I have enjoyed a few of Holly Webb’s books before and one about an Artic Fox sounded perfect (and is the perfect review to post this Christmas week).

This story follows Ellie, who is going on a winter surprise holiday with her family (parents and little brother) to Lapland just before Christmas. This is exciting, so she tries to find out more about where they are going and that it has artic foxes, even if they are rare (due to being an endangered species).

Still there is a tiny bit of hope in Ellie, and there is enough to do during the trip too, visiting Santa, going on a sleigh ride and trying to catch the Northern Lights, so it is not like she’ll be having a bad time. However, one night during her trip she wakes up and hears a strange whining noise that leads her to a little artic fox caught in a trap.

As usual with this series of stories, our character is almost transported into living the life of someone else in the past, and so this time she’s trying to view how the fox hunting was in some ways necessary, and killing animals is, for survival, but not to overdo it. The story is cute even though it wasn’t my favourite out of the ones I’ve read (I think Star was the best).

But it is a lovely story for this winter to be cosy with and to share our love for animals.

Book Review, Books

The Night Dragon Review

Posted on June 29, 2019

The Night Dragon by Naomi Howarth

“I wish I could fly, and breathe fire, and fill the sky with great gray, sooty clouds,” Maud said to her friend, Mouse.

Maud is picked on by the other dragons, so stays cooped up in her cave, sad and lonely. But when the chance comes, will her friend Mouse help her pluck up the courage to fly? A beautiful picture book about individuality and friendship.

Rating:

This book caught my eye with all the colours and the style of the artwork so I got it alongside a few other illustrated books. I do not regret this.

Maud is a cute dragon, all rainbow coloured, and she lives with a bunch of night dragons who every night they puff big clouds of smoke to obscure the sky and bring in the night. I loved the concept of why nightim comes and that it is dragons puffing smoke clouds. Made me smile.

But Maud can’t fly and puff clouds like them, she is taunted a lot by the other dragons. But one day they have a party and none of the usual night dragons can fly. So Maud’s little friend, Mouse encourages her to try flying.

After a bit of encouragement and a “what have you got to lose?” Maud jumps off and hopes she can fly. And she can. And her own special magic shows.

It was cute and intiially I thought it was going to be a specific type of power but it was differnet and it was still super cute. The artwork was a delight and I am glad to have read this, plus dragons and a cute mouse.

Book Review, Books

The Whisper Review

Posted on March 24, 2019

The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski

When a little girl received a curious book filled only with pictures, a whisper urges her to create the words she cannot see. As the pages turn, her imagination takes flight and she discovers that the greatest storyteller of all might come from within.

A celebration of reading and the power of the imagination, Pamela Zagarenski’s debut as an author reminds us that we each bring something different to the same book.

Rating:

This was totally a cover buy (most of my illustrated children’s books usually are cover buys), a girl with a cute red eared hoodie and a fox and a huge book, of course, I don’t care what it is about I need it.

Good thing it is actually a nice sweet book. And it is mostly about letting your imagination run and have some fun, but also to enjoy books, and how books and words can be “not boring” because you can imagine, and you can create. All the stories, ideas, and you can even change stories in your head with a pinch of imagination.

The author is also the illustrator and you can see just how much love and care there was into making this book match in words and drawings (not saying other books don’t, just that you can see it very well in this one).

The amount of foxes and gorgeous ideas was quite good, and there is a lot to encourage reading.

I know, short review, but it is a short book however the illustrations do make you pause and make them match the words, and try to find what else you can see in it.