Review of Buddy and the Purple Vacuum

[AvidBibliophile]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Buddy and the Purple Vacuum" by R.K.Goodermüth]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Written by R.K. Goodermüth and illustrated by Sally C. Taylor, Buddy and the Purple Vacuum is a children’s book about a baby skunk named Buddy. He lives in an underground tunnel at the base of a hill, and he dutifully receives guidance from his mother and older sister. When he is finally old enough to venture safely outside, he spends one unforgettable morning experiencing all that the world outside his dark tunnel has to offer. Once he steps foot onto Uncle Kenny’s farm, he sees the glorious brightness of dawn, meets a clucking chicken, hears a rumbling tractor, spots a motorized vacuum cleaner, and even has a chance to sample some delicious vegetables from the garden compost heap. He also comes face to face with Granny, the no-nonsense matriarch who quickly sweeps him off the porch!

As his very first outing comes to an end, he reflects on all of the newly discovered sights and sounds of his day, but will he make it back home safely, and if he does, will he have collected any potentially edible souvenirs along the way? Readers will have to flip through the pages to find out. I enjoyed Buddy’s enthusiastic personality and his insatiable desire to learn, experience, and discover all that he could in such a short amount of time.

This story took place over a span of approximately twelve pages, and six of those pages also featured playful, colored illustrations. I only encountered a small handful of grammatical errors, and the only aspect of the book I disliked was an issue with the chosen order of the final layout. I came across three instances that presented a similar problem. The placed order of the illustrations and the paragraphs of text that accompanied them felt oddly disjointed. With some minor formatting adjustments, the story would have a much better overall flow that would aid in clear comprehension of the plot.

This book would be appropriate for young readers in the age range of four to seven years, and I would recommend this story to little learners who enjoy tales about inquisitive animals with cute and curious quirks. As a doting grandmother herself, Goodermüth’s personal experiences with rural farm life serve as an inspiration for all of her imaginative tales involving memorable things that occur on and around Uncle Kenny’s farm.

Due to the minor issues with editing and illustration placement, I rate the current version of this book three out of four stars. If this book underwent an editorial revision to correct the highlighted errors, Buddy and the Purple Vacuum would easily earn a four-star rating. Skunks are cuter than most people realize!

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Buddy and the Purple Vacuum
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[Josephe-Anne]

I agree that skunks are cute - until you smell them!

This sounds like a lovely story to inspire youngsters to learn and be curious about the world around them. Hopefully, the issues you mentioned will be fixed.

Thank you for another fabulous review, AvidBibliophile.

[RetiredOBNurse]

Buddy sounds like a nice little friend to meet and spend the day with! I feel most any child would enjoy reading a book about animals and pretending to be part of the adventure they experience in that span of time. A perfect bedtime story for sure!

[Chimuka Muungo]

Im already in love with buddy. And I think many children will too. Surely, it must have been quite the adventure going out into the big world for the for the very first time and encountering new experiences. I am happy he recieved guidance from his family at home it makes it feel relatable to children reading that they too will be allowed to try new things on their own when the time is right.

[Gull1234]

This is really very good experiences, adventure that make a good sense and their relationship with other leaves a good thought

[Raluca_Mihaila]

I wonder what skunks consider edible souvenirs . I would love to offer Buddy some treats because he deserves them.
Thank you for this lovely review!

[Maliha Naveed]

As a mother of a 3-year-old, this story sounds lovely and appropriate. Good review.

[Kanchan Bhil]

Cute characters and their lives can be fascinating to children. Your review has everything that one needs to know about a book before reading it. Thank you for this great review!

[AvidBibliophile]

I agree that skunks are cute - until you smell them!

This sounds like a lovely story to inspire youngsters to learn and be curious about the world around them. Hopefully, the issues you mentioned will be fixed.

Thank you for another fabulous review, AvidBibliophile.

Excellent point — they’re adorable from a distance!
Thank you for the sweet words because this one was definitely short, sweet, and memorable!

[AvidBibliophile]

Buddy sounds like a nice little friend to meet and spend the day with! I feel most any child would enjoy reading a book about animals and pretending to be part of the adventure they experience in that span of time. A perfect bedtime story for sure!

Buddy was darling, and he definitely spent his first official outing discovering and investigating all that he could with his little skunk legs! It would be a great bedtime read for sure. Thank you for stopping by!

[AvidBibliophile]

Im already in love with buddy. And I think many children will too. Surely, it must have been quite the adventure going out into the big world for the for the very first time and encountering new experiences. I am happy he recieved guidance from his family at home it makes it feel relatable to children reading that they too will be allowed to try new things on their own when the time is right.

Most definitely!! His mom and sister were great role models for him, and he finally got to “see” the sources of all the various noises he’d been hearing since he was born. This was a cute story that I think kids would love!

[AvidBibliophile]

This is really very good experiences, adventure that make a good sense and their relationship with other leaves a good thought

Experiences and adventures generally delight us all, and Buddy certainly had several of them all in one day! His relationships with his own family (and the human farm family) presented many important interactions throughout the plot.

[AvidBibliophile]

I wonder what skunks consider edible souvenirs . I would love to offer Buddy some treats because he deserves them.
Thank you for this lovely review!

Skunks aren’t that picky, lol, but Buddy’s nose and palate definitely experienced many new things and flavors that day! He was a cutie. Thank you for the kind words of support!

[AvidBibliophile]

As a mother of a 3-year-old, this story sounds lovely and appropriate. Good review.

Aww, yay! I’m happy to hear that. I always love animal stories about wildlife, especially the ones that give readers a better understanding of the daily lives and routines and curiosities of the many critters that walk among us. I appreciate you stopping by to read and comment!

[AvidBibliophile]

Cute characters and their lives can be fascinating to children. Your review has everything that one needs to know about a book before reading it. Thank you for this great review!

Thanks so much for your positive feedback and encouraging words of support! Cute animal characters are so great at teaching kids life lessons that are relevant and relatable, so this one was a gem in that regard.