[I received a free electronic review copy of both of these books from Netgalley and Disney Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Duck Moves In – Summary
A moose looking for some peace and quiet gets a rambunctious new neighbor. So Moose keeps taking Duck to other places he could live. But Duck is determined to stay put – on Moose’s head!
Moose Blasts Off – Summary
Moose is playing astronaut, and Duck wants to play too. But this is something Moose likes to do alone. So he teaches Duck about using his imagination. But what happens when Duck’s imaginings are different from Moose’s?
Review
These early chapter book/graphic novels are a lot of fun! Each book has 3 chapters with full color artwork. I LOVE the illustrations, and the friendship struggles will feel familiar to kids. These would be great books to use for talking about resolving conflict, compromise, making new friends, etc.. And I think kids will crack up at some of the things Duck and Moose get into. Fans of Piggie and Gerald, Ballet Cat and Sparkles, or other best friend/”odd couple” pairings will enjoy Duck and Moose! Book 3, Duck in the Dark, is currently scheduled to release in December.
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.
The Chestnut Challenge – [I received a review copy of this from the publisher. All opinions are my own.] This is book 4 in the Nocturnals series starring three friends – Tobin the pangolin, Bismark the sugar glider and Dawn the fox. In this story, the friends are playing a checkers-like game called Chestnuts when they meet a chinchilla named Chandler who says he is a Chestnuts champion. But is Chandler really that good at the game, or is he a cheater? This was a solid story about dealing with cheating among friends. I also liked learning a little about these different animals in the backmatter. Rating: ♥♥♥½
A Sea Otter to the Rescue – Part of the Tails from History series, this tells the story of Toola, a five-year-old sea otter rescued by a California aquarium in 2001. The aquarium also rescued a baby otter. The staff knew pups raised by humans don’t do as well when they are returned to the wild. They introduced the pup to Toola, and she treated him as if he was her own pup. She taught him to swim and eat and groom himself like otters do. And that pup did so well back in the wild, he had a family of his own. Toola ended up raising 12 rescued pups – and other aquariums used the same system to help rescue other pups. Kids can read all about Toola and the impact she had on orphan pups and other environmental issues for otters. This was a delight to read – cute illustrations and an engaging story! Rating: ♥♥♥♥½
Survivor Diaries: Overboard! – This reminded me a lot of the uber-popular I Survived series that appeals to middle to upper elementary students. This story is shorter, but the suspense and tension was still present. This would have been a hit with my students!
