Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
By Evan & Debbie Gardner First Grader/Mom &PRIME Editor The old adage, "out of the mouths of babes," was never truer than when Evan and I tried to review a recent book selection, "Austin & Charlie Adventures: Beach Adventures " by co-authors Linda Parker & Katie Langdon. I have to admit, on the first read-through, I just didn't get it. To me, the story of two dogs traveling around in their Pawmobile and stopping at the beach to play with, then search for, their favorite toy Mr. Stretchie, seemed too simple and, well, silly for a seven-year-old like Evan to be interested in. I told him how silly I thought the book was as we read through it together one night at bedtime. I even considered giving it a poor review. That was, until a few days later when I was dusting my bedroom, and Evan came in carrying the Austin & Charlie book. He plunked down on the bed and started reading the simple tale aloud. And then he did something I hadn't thought of when we did our first read-through. He started looking for, and finding, Mr. Stretchie in the illustrations where the two dogs talked about searching for their toy. How clever, I thought. The authors had combined two things my son loves in one book, a story simple enough for him to read himself, and a simplified variation of the hidden-objects-in-the-picture books he's become fascinated with of late. He also discovered, and enjoyed reading, the two-page glossary of ocean-related words called "Paw Facts" at the back of the book. (I missed that entirely!) So, this reviewer mom stands corrected. There's more merit to introducing your young pre-readers and readers to "Austin & Charlie Adventures: Beach Adventures " than I initially thought. I also learned, through some background research before writing this review, that Austin & Charlie are based on real dogs owned by the co-authors, who say their pets "have a hoot" playing together. Check out photos of the doggy pals and more about the book and authors at www.austincharlieadventures.com. You can also order the book at this Web site, or from either Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com. |
