Review by Lucy Mutungi -- Puffy and the Formidable Foe

[Lucy Mutungi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Puffy and the Formidable Foe" by Marie Lepkowski and Ann Marie Hannon.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Puffy and the Formidable Foe by Marie Lepkowski and Ann Marie Hannon is the story of a cat by the name Puffy who goes out hunting for a rat. He pokes his head into a hole expecting to catch a rat only to find a mole. He then runs to the woods and lands into more trouble.

The story is narrated in a simple and precise manner which makes it easy to follow through. The writer makes use of rhyming words which make the story easy to remember and even to memorize. The rhymes also make it interesting to read out and to listen. There are very few characters in this book and the story line is also very clear.

The book carries with it great lessons that children can learn from Puffy. This is what I like most about this book. After messing up, Puffy vows to stay out of trouble and there is a clear indication in the book that he actually sticks to that. There is also a great lesson about consequences in this book. When Puffy gets messy, he has to put up with a shampoo that he doesn’t really like. There are many lessons that a reader can pick from the book. The reader provides a credible guide on how one can assist a child to pick out these lessons.

The thing that I like least about this book is that it makes use of very many words that may not be so simple especially to children. While this may help a child to learn new vocabulary, it can be difficult for a child to comprehend especially where there is no assistance from another person. These words are also not easy for the person assisting the child to explain their respective meaning. The reader would have made use of simpler words and still tell the story in an interesting and captivating way.

This is however a very good book that I would recommend to children, parents and people who have an interest in short stories. However due to the use of many words that are not so simple and which might be challenging to most children, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

The writer of this book manages to captivate the reader’s attention all through to the end and the end does not disappoint. The book ends with an exciting climax which is a statement that there is no place like home. What better way to demonstrate this than to have a parent enjoy their time at home with their child while reading Puffy and the Formidable Foe.

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Puffy and the Formidable Foe
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