The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster – Mini Review

“You must never feel badly about making mistakes,” explained Reason quietly, “as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons.” 

Milo must rescue The Princesses’ Rhyme and Reason, so off he goes through the Phantom Tollbooth in his car that ‘goes without saying’.

A wonderful pun-tastic story for any Wordsmith. The storyline has hints of The Wizard of Oz mixed with the superb wit and intelligent humour of Roald Dahl. 

I probably got a lot more enjoyment from this than a child would! My Mum would have LOVED this book because she used to come up with some absolutely classic ‘play on words’. 

I’ve got her to thank for teaching me to love and appreciate the written word. This book reminded me of conversations I’ve had with her, and that’s priceless 💕 

I borrowed this fab little nugget from my local library.

The Curse of the School Rabbit by Judith Kerr

The Curse of the School Rabbit by Judith Kerr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This had me smiling away all the way through, who could resist a naughty bunny story?!

Lovely storyline and characters, with a simple, yet intriguing plot perfect for bedtime. More so if there’s a cuddly rabbit sharing the bed, I could see myself animating with gusto to this little gem!

There used to be a menagerie of stuffed toys sharing my daughter’s bed years ago and she would of loved this between the ages of 3-9 ish.

Certainly a super book for early readers too, complete with really cool little pencil drawings, the facial expressions of the characters were delightful.

I wouldn’t expect any less from Judith Kerr, she wrote with simplicity, humour and love.

5 solid stars from me, my grandchildren (if and when I get them!) are going to share this one with me, I absolutely loved it! But then, I am a big kid at heart I suppose.

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Ronaldo : The Reindeer Flying Academy by Maxine Sylvester

Ronaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy by Maxine Sylvester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well that made such a change! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Ronaldo and his flying school antics.

This is the first children’s book I’ve reviewed. The author, Maxine Sylvester, was kind enough to send me this e-book. I only wish I could of read it out loud to a group of children. I love to see their reactions and faces light up when I do the voices and sound effects! (Takes me back to when I was a nursery school assistant and story time was the highlight of my day!)

The story was a fun read, following young Ronaldo and his reindeer friends and family on the first part of his journey to achieve his dream, to be one of Santas reindeer on the most important night of the year~ Christmas Eve.

With lots of life lessons scattered throughout the story and some very funny illustrations adding to its appeal, this is a perfect alternative to traditional festive bedtime stories.

Children would be able to relate to Ronaldo’s hopes, dreams and also fears. It teaches the reader that it’s important in life to have faith in yourself, focus, appreciate the love and support of those close to you, and, above all, don’t take life too seriously. It feels good to have a bit of fun, and it feels great to be a success!

Overall, a smashing kids book that is suitable for adults to read to their children, or for readers of about 7+ to read themselves. My only gripe is I had black and white illustrations in the e-book, and I’d of loved to see them in full colour. I’m guessing a physical book would be a far more enjoyable read. Long live proper children’s books with full technicolour! 😉

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