OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "My Name is Odin" by Diane Orr.]

My Name is Odin by Diane Orr is a children’s picture book about a Great Pyrenees named Odin. Odin is a livestock guardian dog who protects the livestock at de Good Life Farm. He was born on another farm to two Great Pyrenees livestock guardians. He was trained on that farm until he was old enough to move to de Good Life Farm. The book includes fun descriptions and pictures of how Odin protects the animals on the farm.

I chose this book because Odin reminded me of the Great Pyrenees dogs my family has owned. Like those pups, Odin is an adorable, responsible dog who takes care of all the animals on the farm. I enjoyed hearing about his adventures. The pictures were fun as well. I appreciated that the photos were clear and appeared to be of a high quality, as is appropriate for a book. It would be hard not to fall in love with Odin after seeing him try to play with calves or get hosed off after having fun in the mud.

My only real complaint about this book is that it doesn’t feel like it’s targeted at a specific age group. The book uses fairly advanced vocabulary for children, including words like “vulnerable” and “characteristic” as well as farm terminology like “broiler” and “pullet.” The author included a glossary at the back of the book to explain the meanings of these words and increase the reader’s vocabulary, which I thought was a great addition to the book. However, the actual story doesn’t seem appropriate for readers who would be learning these bigger words. The book revolves around Odin’s job as a livestock guardian, and there isn’t really an overarching plot. I think that older children would prefer for the book to include a more developed plot while younger kids may enjoy the story but wouldn’t understand all of the vocabulary used.

Overall, I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed seeing and reading about Odin, and the writing and pictures look professional, as I didn’t find any errors. However, I would have preferred for the book to be more clearly targeted at a specific age range.

I would recommend this book to parents of kids ages four to nine. Parents could read the book to younger kids and either simplify or explain the vocabulary used. Older kids could read the book by themselves but may prefer other books that have more complicated storylines.

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My Name is Odin
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I will take time out to read out this book to my 6 year old student who loves dogs and owns one herself...I'll probably explain the big words to her because she's quite inquisitive.. Nice review

I would say a children's book that doesn't seem targeted for children is very ironic. Nine year old me was definitely past books with pictures, but maybe that's just me

The fact the book is about showing the job for this breed if dog is great and very good learning tool especially for kids who want a dog but they cant just pick one because they want it they need to learn the ability of the dogs and what they are breed to do and books like this really help

Great Pyrenees are absolutely beautiful dogs, and I think anyone who has owned one or who has come in contact with one can relate to the fluffy, gigantic joy they can give. It’s very odd that the book isn’t very age-specific; perhaps the author was just trying to reach a wide market, but it sounds like it didn’t quite hit the target. I do love the idea of a glossary in the back, but I also can’t imagine little-little ones really appreciating that. Thanks for the great review!

As a lover of dogs, I am already excited to see how this little animal did its one sole job as a friend to humans. My little nephew who is just like me would surely love this book if I read it to him.

The review is amazing and the story seems appealing. Pet lovers and kids will definitely feel connected to the story.