Thursday, August 30, 2012

Codley and the Big Storm: Together We Can!, by Lisl Fair and Michaela Grace (illustrations by Ismedy Prasetya)

Lisl Fair is back with another Codley adventure (my daughter is still hoping for a followup to her Lexi Fairheart story). This time Codley the octopus and his friends must rebuild Codley's home in a shipwreck when a storm on the ocean surface causes havoc on the ocean floor (not sure how realistic that is--does that actually happen?). Each of the various sea creatures helps with the cleanup in their own way. The manta rays, for instance, are very good at sweeping up debris. The book is cute and has a clear message about cooperation. Plus it shows a number of sea creatures exercising their unique talents which young children are sure to enjoy.

It's far too wordy to be a toddler book, however, and some of the dialogue is awkward to read aloud (particularly that of Pokie, the stammering blowfish). It's more likely a book for early readers aged 6-8. It's very cute and I liked it better than the previous Codley book, Codley and the Sea Cave Adventure.

Hit the jump for Magda's take!
Magda's Take:
"It was fine. But on your Kobo it would have been not fine."

She's right. Most preschool books lose all their charm when viewed on my e-reader. The pictures are too small, they're in black-and-white and the words are usually difficult to read. Whenever a publisher sends me a digital children's book, I read it with my daughter at the desktop computer rather than putting it on my e-reader. I'm guessing the real market for preschool e-books is among those who own iPads. For us, we prefer print books whenever possible. 

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Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing a review, though the review did not necessarily need to be favourable, just honest. I frequently read and review books for this reason, but I am always very truthful (and, I hope, fair) in my reviews. Therefore any opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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