OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Puffy and the Formidable Foe" by Marie Lepkowski and Ann Marie Hannon.]

Puffy and the Formidable Foe by Marie Lepkowski, Ann Marie Hannon and Margaret B. Hannon is a cute, short little illustrated children's book about a young kitty cat named Puffy. One day he decides to go off hunting for a rat and has an adventure away from home. Unfortunately, instead of a rat he finds a "kitty that doesn't meow" - a skunk! Puffy learns the hard way about skunks and runs home, where he is cleaned back up and realizes the errors of his ways.

The best children's books impart a lesson, and with Puffy and the Formidable Foe that lesson is to not run off alone. Puffy learns the hard way that the world isn't all smiles and sunshine, but that lesson is learned in a silly metaphorical way, not a scary, dark way. Who wouldn't want to stay away from smelly skunk spray? It's a very cute, smart way to teach the lesson and was in fact so metaphorical I might not have picked it up if not for the author's explanation.

Here's where the book really went above and beyond for me. Most children's books are merely presented as-is and it's left up to the parents to talk about the book with their kids (if they do at all). With Puffy and the Formidable Foe there's a whole page on ways to use the book with kids before the story actually begins. Several different prompts are presented to help children learn the lesson, learn about rhyming (the vast majority of the book is told in rhyme) and there's even an offer for an additional coloring page and a list of the bigger words with their meanings if one emails the authors. I really found that to be a terrific plus for the book, as bonding and teaching are such important benefits of reading to kids.

The art in the book is very clearly hand-created, which walks a fine line between not being overly fantastic but also being unique, cute and totally relatable for children. It's the kind of art that a kid could attempt to do on their own, although there are some details that wouldn't be quite as easy to emulate. While I can't find proof either way, one of the Amazon reviews states that this is 3 generations of family that worked on this book, and if so I wonder if one of the younger family members helped with the art. If so, it's incredibly cute and so genuinely fits with the idea of sharing the book with your own children!

The book is very short - only 8 wide-screen pages in the actual story - but it's pretty much the exact length it should be. The length also makes it incredibly easy to go back over it again, repeatedly hunting down rhyming words and talking about the theme. There is also one single grammatical error early into the story itself, but it isn't major. I feel very confident in giving Puffy and the Formidable Foe a solid 3 out of 4 stars. While Amazon has no recommended age listed, I'd recommend it to parents who are first starting to explore reading with their children. The length makes it fitting for even the most impatient, quick to fall asleep kids!

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Puffy and the Formidable Foe
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Like CataclysmicKnight's review? Post a comment saying so!

I love the fact that the author strongly encourages children and adults to read with each other. The prompts at the beginning of the book is an excellent touch! Every children's book should have something like that because sometimes parents need to be educated as well on how they can promote conversation through the book.

Great Review! ??

Using the skunk to teach Puffy a lesson is a very clever ploy. The review is very refreshing. Thanks.

The best children's book.The book is very short but pretty much interesting and the art is very clear. I love it

Being a cat person, I love stories about kitties. This wonderful children's picture book has all the elements that makes me love it .

I've read the novel puffy and the formidable foe, despite its fun and simple language it's amazing for kids and adults too as it will help and improve their reading skills. The most interesting part is where Puffy finds a kitty that doesn't meow instead of a rat thus learning life the hard way. It's a great review for me as a reader/reviewer.

I agree to your point about the above and beyond guides. It is clear that this book was made with love.

I rated this book 3 out of 4 stars myself. Feel free to check out my review when you have time.

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading different reviewers on this book since it is a free book now. I love cats and basically I will enjoy reading this book some other time.

Did you find the artwork to be a bit scattered? It never occurred to me that children possibly assisted with the illustrations. The inconsistency really threw me off though. Some pages Puffy has eyelashes; some he does not. Some pages his nose is pink; some it is white or grey. Thoughts?