Review: `The cola is starting to recede!'
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 18, 2014
C and S Dunlop is the moniker for the New Zealand father and son team responsible for some of the more entertaining children's book freshly out on the market. Four books (plus some collected volumes) are out so far. Chris is the son and is the author of the team, an engineer by training but a writer by passion. He is joined by his father Steve, the artist (and a fine one at that!), and together they collaborate on books for children - the result is obviously quite successful.For devotees of C and S Dunlop's Healthy Food series, welcome back to Carrot Castle, Princess Anna the Banana is home, and on the grounds the villagers are preparing to clean up when there is a thunderous noise, a darkened sky, and the King announces that Cola Mountain has erupted. The fizzies come spewing out and the cola lollies cheer the fright they have caused at the castle. The cola falls like ran - only sticky gooey rain - and floods the Carrot Castle and all the fruits and vegetables living therein. Queen Carrot comes up with a plan - a boat is needed and a nice big watermelon named Walter serves that purpose. The fruits and vegetables all hop on but the cola keeps spouting out of the mountain until Walter the Watermelon lands atop the cola mountain, blocking the source of the cola eruption, the cola retreats, the grounds are green again and the problem is solved - for the time being, as the cola lollies would return someday (unless we all stop drinking cola!).The story is told in charming rhyme and the illustrations are terrific. So see, junk food critics? This book is for you - especially. Great work, fine book, more please...Grady Harp, July 14