Thursday, November 17, 2016

BOGO THE FOX WHO WANTED EVERYTHING by Susanna Isern/ BANG BANG I HURT THE MOON by Luis Amavisca / Book Review #picturebookmonth


By: Susanna Isern
Illustrated by: Sonja Wimmer
Published by: NubeOcho
Released on: October 11, 2016
Ages: 4 & up
Rating: 3 Owlets - It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

A Junior Library Guild Selection!

Bogo watched many animals around him. Some of them were so incredible that they made him feel less special. One day he decided to invent amazing things so that he could have everything he wanted.
A pair of wings to fly like a bird. It never worked.
A pair of night glasses to see like an owl. It never worked . . .


Bobo the Fox loves to invent things. Not feeling as special as the other woodland animals around him, Bogo's inventions started as a way of trying to fit in. But you can't change who you are, and Bogo soon learns that valuable lesson through his failed inventions. Though his inventions are cool, each failure makes him feel less special. When something threatens this part of the woods, Bogo realizes that it's not his inventions that make him special, but who he is and what he does, that makes him special. 

A good read, with an important message about being happy with who you are, knowing what makes you special, and never giving up on what you like to do. These messages also make great discussions starters with kids. 




By: Luis Amavisca 
Illustrated by: Ester G. Madrid
Published by: NubeOcho
Released on: October 11, 2016
Ages: 4 & up
Rating: 3 Owlets - It's A Good Read
Purchase fromAmazon
Add it to Goodreads

That night, Nicholas was making gun shapes with his hands:
"Bang Bang I shot the moon," he said pointing at the moon.
No one believed it when suddenly the moon fell into the family's garden.
The moon was not injured but fell down because of the fright.


It's bedtime for Nicholas and his brother, but Nicholas isn't tired. So he decides to play pretend guns, something he's not allowed to do. When he pretends to shoot the moon, it falls down into their garden. Feeling horrible for what he's done, Nicholas works together with his mom, brother, and a few animals, and ants to help get the moon back up to her home in the sky. Thankfully their team work pays off just in time. 


This is a good story with some great illustrations, and has a great theme of team work. If it didn't end the way it did, I would have liked it even more so. The last line made the ending feel abrupt, and incomplete. I felt like it needed a little bit more after that ending, or at least more of an explantation about why pretend shooting a gun could be harmful, or hurt someone. 


I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~