I have received my second book from Thomas Nelson for review. It is The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown.
I have read Good Night Moon once a long time ago. I have a vague recollection of a mother and baby rabbit. So if you are looking for a review comparing the two, this is not the one for you.
I started this book with a slightly tainted mindset; I had read a negative review several weeks before. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't horrid, but I can't say that it was great. Let me start with the negatives and get them out of the way. The wording was very choppy. The rhythm didn't seem consistent throughout the book. Some of the rhymes seemed forced. I thought the story would have flowed better if it followed some recognizable path around the world instead of jumping from one continent to another. I also found it annoying that at the very end it suddenly tries to become a Christmas story. This just did not flow for me.
On the positive side, my mission minded heart like the idea of visiting children from different countries around the world and asking God to bless them. I also found the illustrations pleasant. The are colorful and fun. The koala as a main character adds an international flair.
Overall I give this book three stars. It was OK, but certainly not great.
7 comments:
sounds like a cool book. Goes to show you that sometimes it's better to go into something with an open mind than to be swayed by preconceived notions :)
My wife is a huge fan of "Goodnight Moon." It's what she gives new parents ... basically all new parents ... and I don't know how many copies we have around here.
She wants me to get this one if it's still available for my third book. So, maybe we'll wind up with the Huckabee-turned-"Moon Shines Down" blogging network.
I would hate for your wife to be disappointed. It is not really that good.
What are you reviewing for your second?
When I picked my third book, the choices where all different from before. It might be possible that "Moon Shines Down" won't be available for a third choice. I'm not sure whether to hope that it is or isn't.
I took "Boomtown" for my second book. It's about the reading level for my sons, so that's a plus. And, let's face it, a book about a town where everyone's favorite hobby is blowing things up? Yee-haw!
I admit, I'm not sure whether I hope that "The Moon Shines Down" is or is not available, myself. I don't want her to be disappointed ... but I think that that might happen either way. I have referred her to the reviews that you and One Mom posted, but she's not quite dissuaded.
After all, she notes, I was told by just about everyone I know that "Dune" is among the great science fiction books of all time ... and I hated it. ("Hundreds and hundreds of pages of painful tedium," I think, were my exact words.)
Anyway ... we'll see what's available. The choices were pretty different from my first and second books. I wonder how frequently they change them.
By the way, if I don't wander by between now and then (and even if I do!) -- Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh, I almost picked Boomtown, but I went with a grown up book this time: House of Dark Shadows. I may live to regret it.
That is so funny! I was looking at "House of Dark Shadows" and came really close to getting it.
I was swayed by the fact that I've got a lot of "adult" books in my stack to read already, and since I just got one that's really Eagle-friendly, I didn't want to make the boys feel like I'm leaving them out.
Wickle - I'll send you my copy of Moon shines down if you want it.
I'm just getting started reading my second book "Holding Fast" about the hikers that were trapped and died on Mt. Hood.
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