Review of Hoppin' Hankaroo by Janet Earnest Jenkins

 

 
Join Kathy and Hankaroo on their trip to the zoo where they meet some silly animals and make a new friend who is the funniest bird they've ever seen! Appropriate for ages 0-6 years, Hoppin' Hankaroo is a rhyming book, which makes it easier for little ones to remember the words. The illustrations are done in crayon as if a child colored them. A great learning tool and fun story, your child will want to read this humorous picture book again and again!

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**My thoughts**

This is a cute story about a little girl going to the zoo with her dog to see all of the animals and have some adventures. There's a bit of a mix of what you would actually expect to see at the zoo and then some playful imaginary happenings. All of it is told in rhyme, which is actually fun to read out loud. The end of the story hints at future titles continuing the adventures of Kathy with a K.

As described in the book blurb, the illustrations are done in crayon and look like an older child has drawn them. I am personally not a fan of this style of illustration, but I know it speaks to some readers. I think this is the kind of book that could inspire children to create their own books and made-up adventures. I get the impression it was created because of a child's idea. Kudos to this grandmother for fulfilling that dream!

I received a requested review copy from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.



  
About the author:

Janet lives in Bonneau, SC and is the grandmother of five. She loves creating stories and writing fun poetry for early readers. Her stories keep the young imagination entertained and tickle the funny bone.

Things That Twirl

I came across the book Things That Twirl as I was perusing the free Kindle books on Amazon. It is a short rhyming story that is written, edited and illustrated by Eric Demont Smith. In the story, a little boy named Billy Joe goes to the zoo on a school trip. He encounters a variety of animals, each character doing its own little twirl or dance of excitement throughout.

It is definitely a cute story. The flow of the rhyming words actually works and does not seem forced. The illustrations look like they were made by a young child. That being said, it leaves me a little confused as to whether Eric Smith is a child or an adult. The words indicate a much older child or an adult.

Regardless, it is a cute story to share with children. He says in the introduction that it is a song as well as a nursery rhyme. Unfortunately, there is no music to accompany it. You could possibly come up with your own tune.

I read the book on my Kindle Cloud reader on my laptop. I then skimmed it on the Kindle app on my Droid. The formatting on the Droid is better in that the words and pictures are on separate pages. It seems off on the laptop. This indicates one of the reasons that I do not like to read picture books as ebooks.

I actually wish that there were more pictures than the two that are included with the story. A picture book begs for more. But it would be fun to share the story with children and to encourage them to create their own illustrations for it. They could even try to write about their own trip to the zoo.