To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark. —Victor Hugo
James, Laura. Safari Pug: The dog who walked on the wild side. Illustrated by Églantine Ceulemans. Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2019. 112 pages. $6.99, ISBN 978-1681198835.
Think of the most unusual animal to be found in a jungle. Got it? If the answer was a pug, that’s correct! In Safari Pug, Pug and Lady Miranda (Pug’s owner) visit a safari park to see a lion. Through hijinks and mishaps, Pug finds himself face-to-face with the King of the Jungle, follow along with Pug and Lady Miranda as they try to help save a lion cub and Pug. Safari Pug is easy to follow and the vocabulary used varies, but is still relatively easy to read for readers roughly between eight and twelve. The font itself is large and spaced widely to make it easy for early readers. The chapters are short and show ends of scenes in a way that allows the story to flow smoothly, but with quick pace. The overall color scheme of the book is very limited – using only Green, yellow, and black as the majority of the images, with a smattering of white and gray for good measure. Most pages are white, with a few in yellow and green to show a slight contrast. The illustrations are drawn and minimal to keep the reader focused on the story with the illustrations as an aid to further plot. Overall, Safari Pug is geared toward level 3 readers and is a great introduction to chapter books for early readers.
Kibuishi, Kazu. Amulet: The Stonekeeper. Graphix, 2008. 192 pages. $7.06, ISBN 978-0439846813.
Mystical powers abound in this thrilling, fast-paced graphic novel. Amulet: The Stonekeeper follows siblings Emily and Navin as they try to rescue their mother from a mysterious creature. Together, the siblings face off against sea monsters, creatures of the unknown, and an evil elf. With the help of a robot, they fight their way through one situation to the next trying to rescue their mother. The art is vivid and clean, with portrayals of both humans and monsters. Details are strong and undeniably impactful. The illustrations are digitally formatted to follow a standard graphic novel. Each spread has a nice balance of words and pictures, without overwhelming the reader with lengthy dialogue or storytelling or providing limited words to help explain the story. The pictures guide the reader along in such a way that readers won’t want to put it down. The language is easy to follow and emotionally charged. The story gives readers a chance to step out of their normal, everyday lives, and into this fantastical realm. This is book one in the Amulet series; it will leave readers needing to know what will happen next and wanting to go on to the next story to keep up with Emily and Navin’s adventures.
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