BOOK REVIEW!! Changing Places by Anne K. Edwards

A black cat named Whiskers encounters a snake that has lost his home when he goes outside to see the world.

We absolutely LOVED this story!

This is such a cute story about how things might not always be better elsewhere. Of course, that isn't quite what my 4 yr old got out of the story, but he did get several giggles and laughs out of it!

I think one of the best things about this story is how V could honestly relate to both the cat and the snake in one way or another. The snake "oh! My daddy would be so mad if he found a snake moving into our house!" And the cat "Is that what happened to our kitty? Did she go outside and get lost?" I loved how he interjected his own little tidbits the entire time I was reading to him "sometimes even cats shouldn't climb trees!" and "that lady got the snake with a broom!" He just really got into the story and the illustrations in this story.

I have to admit, the illustrations really pulled me in as well. These illustrations are amazingly well done and a perfect match to the storyline. V had to prod me along once because I stopped reading and was simply looking at all the cute details in the illustration! LOL I also really enjoyed the story because it is a very simple, but well done, version of the old saying "the grass isn't always greener on the other side". 

Overall - this is a fantastic story sure to be enjoyed by all!

BOOK REVIEW!! Dominick and the Dragon by Anne K. Edwards

Dominick is a lonely little boy who has an interest in dragons so when his brothers tell him about one living in the "dark forest" behind Dominick's home, he longs to meet him. Imagine his surprise when he does. Here, he must outsmart the dragon named Elvis who is always hungry.

Well... That was cute! 

I actually read this to my 4 year old because he is HUGE into dinosaurs and of course dragons by default. From the first page he was pretty much hooked! 

It is a cute little story about big brothers and little brothers and the stories told by both. I think that is one of the reasons V liked it so much. He has a big brother that loves to tell him stories and if just once V could get him "back" like Dominick did he would be so happy. 

There were a few places that I did have to ad lib a little bit because it ran a little long for a 4 year old to sit still - just a few "scenes" that the extra information was too much and I cut out while reading out loud. But that didn't effect V's enjoyment of the story at all.

He also enjoyed the few illustrations that are included in the story. A couple don't follow the description and he did ask about that. So, I made up reasons why it might not be just like it said. It didn't bother him too much though and he was always ready for me to get back to reading more than he was really interested in my explanation.

All in all - this is a very cute little story about a boy proving to his brothers that dragons really do exist even if they thought they were just making up a story so their little brother didn't want to go with them into the forrest. It is 4 year old approved, and I could see older children enjoying it as well.