The Adventures of Reggie the Flying Squirrel: It’s Not Always Scary in the Dark / Jennifer Steward

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Approximate word count: 800-1,000 words (16 pages)

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Information about Jennifer Steward is sketchy. All I can say for sure is she’s married (her husband Bryan Steward did the illustrations for this book), and she’s written a few other books, one more in The Adventures of Reggie the Flying Squirrel series, and a series of short non-fiction books on healthy diets.

Description:

“If you seek wild tales of adventures and encounters, then come join Reggie the Flying Squirrel on his epic travels with his solar power fan pack.

You will be entertained with the places he goes and the dilemmas he faces. You might also learn something that will stick with you forever.

This particular tale is of Reggie the Flying Squirrel traveling straight into a menacing storm high in the mountains and falling into a deep dark cave. Through his fears of being alone in the dark he encounters a most strange outrageous creature that changes his view of being scared and a great adventure begins with a new friend.”

Appraisal:

The target age for this book is new readers and for an adult to read to younger readers (about ages 2 through 7). Although older than the target reader I drafted my kid’s book specialist, my eleven year-old granddaughter The Princess, for her input and, after hearing her thoughts and reading the book myself, I found we were in agreement.

The Princess gave Reggie’s adventure an overall grade of B+. She felt it was a good choice for a parent to read as a bedtime story for younger children. Not only is it an ideal length for getting a kid settled in for the night, but the content is a good fit. There is a “monster” who makes an appearance, but as The Princess pointed out, it’s a “nice monster.” (Not very monstrous at all. I’d describe it as a strange creature instead.) The lesson, that the dark isn’t always scary, is a timely bedtime message and as The Princess told me, it isn’t spooky and won’t leave a kid wondering, both things that could keep him or her awake.

FYI:

Although part of a series, this book can be read as a stand alone. Due to the format and color pictures this book is ideally read on a color ereader or tablet computer.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars