Karin Lefranc

Princess Rosalind and her pet dragon Sparkler sat down with the Queen for dinner when their obnoxious behavior and lack of table manners got them into trouble. Queen scolded them and warned both Princess Rosalind and Sparkler they had 3 days to find good manners or Sparkler would be banished from the castle. The two friends ventured out in A Quest For Good Manners.


My kids and I loved this adorable story of friendship and manners. The book is perfect for both boys and girls as the main characters are Princess Rosalind and her pet dragon Sparkler. The story is filled with adventure and good family values as it teaches manners. The story walks you through a list of good manners, what they are, how to use them and why each one is important.

The illustrations in the book are large, crisp and detailed. A Quest For Good Manners is filled with great colors and the pictures are gender neutral appealing to both girls and boys.

I highly recommend this book as it not only features an amazing adventure between two best friends but great lessons in manners and good behavior. Perfect for kids of all ages both boys and girls!… (meer)

As far as target audience appeal, this one has it in the bag. Little ones will have a blast with the zombie invading school and tearing through the pages of every book it can find. Okay, well maybe not the tearing through the pages part because frankly that gave me a mini heart attack, but I digress....loads of fun for the munchkins. Readers will love how instead of EATING the books, he eventually learns that READING the books is much more enjoyable. Definitely speaks to the adage you've probably heard about how it only takes ONE BOOK to turn a non-reader into a reader. Basically this zombie gets voracious in the sense of the word we avids love! The illustrations are great...unique in style, simple in design, but stand out just the same. I can honestly see young artists out there trying to duplicate their form in order to create their own zombie stories....what fun! Older readers are where the questions come in... *raises hand*



Yes, I am in that category because obviously (at least I hope so), I'm not in the "target audience" range. Does that mean I don't enjoy a good picture/storybook? Hardly! I adore my fair share of them, thank you very much, but I also question different things that jump out at me. Here, I can't help but wonder WHY a zombie. Grant it, I'm not a huge zombie enthusiast but as I am an avid reader, this book practically SCREAMED at me to take it for a spin. The "why the zombie" question actually comes in with the title and the zombies favorite refrain. I want to eat your books... add a Transylvanian accent and some blah blah BLAHs and can't you see this one actually going the way of the vampires? I get the devouring books aspect, whereas they would satiate the zombie because they are knowledge filled just like BRAINS, but the saying is SO CLOSE to the I want to suck your blood that I can't help looking for fangs. Also, what was with the mummy inclusion at story's end? They were in a school library, not a museum. Where on earth did she come from?



Anywho...aside from the random head scratching moments, it wasn't a bad read. Definitely something little Judy or Johnny might clamor for on a weekend afternoon or for a quick trip through the pages before bed. It takes the paranormal craze and makes it accessible to the wee ones while driving home (like stake to the heart...okay, I promise, enough with the vampires) the point that BOOKS ARE GOOOOD food for the brain, no matter how you may have acquired them.


**review copy received in exchange for my honest review, full post can be seen on my site**… (meer)

by Karin Lefranc, illustrated by Hannah Neale is an educational fairytale about a princess named Rosalind and her pet dragon, Sparkler.

The two are chastised by the queen for their terrible table manners and the princess is given an ultimatum: learn good manners or her beloved pet is to be banished. And so, they visit the wizard Percival and begin their “quest.”

A golden fork with rubies acts as a beacon leading them through each challenge that eventually help them learn to say, “please” and “thank you,” and ultimately to act in kindness and consideration.

The story is simple and encourages its young readers (ages 4-8) by example the importance of being polite in a fun, light narrative adventure...

To read the rest of the review, please visit my blog, The Bibliotaphe's Closet: http://zaraalexis.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/a-quest-for-good-manners-a-review/

Thanks,
Zara… (meer)