Review: A fun, heart-warmingly endearing book for children
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2013
Kyle Fuhrer may be a new children's book author, but clearly, with his `Billy Bob the Dog and Torkelson Turtle' book series, he may very well be the next Seuss or Dahl. Unlike so many other first-time children's book authors you see cropping up on Kindle these days, Fuhrer knows how to make a fun story that will delight youngsters, without forgetting to impart an important moral lesson. And if this first book in the series, `Good Food Gone Bad' is any indication, then it's going to be a fun road ahead for children everywhere.Basically, the book is about two cops: the dog Billy Bob and the turtle Torkelson. They protect and keep the peace in Fiddler's Green, but sometimes, doing their jobs is a challenge because of "villains" like Hypnotherapy--a character whose only purpose in life is cause mischief. One day, things turn from bad to worse when Hypnotherapy steals the town's healthy food, "forcing" the townsfolk to eat nothing but junk food. You can guess the result. Good thing our heroes, Billy Bob and Torkelson, are able to swoop in just in time to save the people's health from spiralling out of control. But because Hypnotherapy manages to escape, you can bet there's an exciting sequel to this book.`Good Food Gone Bad's' moral lesson cannot be more timely, especially these days when the "fattening" of America seems to be a major issue--and it starts at childhood. Fuhrer's choice in tackling the issue and imparting it to young minds is highly commendable--by entertaining kids and reminding them the sheer value of eating healthy food, the author deftly shoots two birds with one stone.The quirky, old school illustrations--they remind me of my own childhood in the 80s--are so refreshing to look at. These days, illustrations in children's books are usually computer-generated, which exudes a certain sense of clinical sterility about them. But Bethany Tallack's whimsical art works feel like what the rat served to Anton Ego in Pixar's `Ratatouille'--they bring us back to our own childhood, which makes the task of reading this book to youngsters deeply memorable.Overall, I love this book. I love sharing it with kids. And I would love it more if the author writes more in this series--and soon. I highly recommend!