J. D. Pooker

This is a whimsical, short, charming illustrated story of a strange creature in "Mommy's Tummy" and the imaginative reasons he feels this is so. The writing is simple, yet clever. The illustrations by Christy Caughie are colorful, simple and well done.

At the very end of the book, there is a complete explanation of what really causes "the Monster in Mommy's Tummy.

This is a wonderful and slightly different story for toddlers and very early elementary age children.

I give this picture book a Four and a Half Stars rating for the literary writing, pictures and added explanation. In my opinion, it was a little too short.

*I was gifted this book by the author for an honest review, of which I have given.… (meer)

The story of The Ifs is the basic two brothers who dislike each other and must learn to put those feelings aside in order to become a dynamic unified force against something. In the end, the brothers should grow past their mutual hatred and become loving brothers (or a least tolerant without the hate). Countless stories have used this theme, sometimes working and sometimes not. In The Ifs, the theme works. Broden and Landon fight over everything and every remark, every small slight, every touch requires a revenge plot. These boys should be so mean that the house is in a constant uproar. That is not the case here even with mom all but ignoring her sons fighting

While the story is good and has interesting characters, Broden and Landon are interchangeable. There is little to tell them apart other than age and Broden being a tad shorter and a bit more sensitive. Mom is the supportive character who tells the boys about the Ifs, then ignores her sons coming home with scratches, bruises, and dirt from head to toe. She responds to her sons as if she understands what they faced and I think we are to surmise that this is because she had an encounter with the Ifs as a child.

The story has elements of surprise, though no twists, and uses forest animals in interesting positions as warriors on both sides, though they are not “unusual creatures and wildest beasts.” The Ifs use hawks, blackbirds, squirrels, pack dogs, and a fox mainly as transportation until the fighting begins. The biggest problem with this story is the writing. Most all of it is telling, telling, telling.

“Landon sat at his desk, his head resting on his hand, staring at a piece of paper as Broden entered the room. He told Landon that they had to get ready for bed, then headed into the bathroom. He grabbed his toothbrush, spreading the paste on the bristles. He stared at himself in the mirrors as he brushed his teeth. Landon came into the room and tried to push him out of the way with his elbow. What was he doing? Broden was there first. He used his elbow to push back. They got into an elbow war until Landon hit Broden with all his strength. Broden yelped at the pain before moving out of the way. Why couldn’t he wait his turn to use the sink? He just had to barge in. It made Broden so mad. Landon thought that just because he was older and stronger he could do what he wanted. It wasn’t fair.

Mom alert! She came to tuck them in and turned out the light. Broden lay in bed and stared at the top bunk. He heard Landon settle into his covers. After a few minutes, Broden was sure Landon was asleep. For a second, Broden thought about getting revenge. It sounded like a good idea to . . .”

The majority of the story is the narrator telling us what is happening, how the character feels, and what they are thinking. I want the characters to tell me these things. After so much of this narration, the story became a difficult read. Had this not been for review I may have laid it down for good.

Dialogue is another problem. There is not enough of it. In the two paragraphs from the book (above), there are at least ten possible lines of dialogue. This scene would have been much easier to read, and more interesting. Dialogue could have helped show the differences between the two brothers. Instead, we get the narrator’s thoughts, disguised as the character’s thoughts.

Because the story is good, because the action is good, and because the individual scenes could be good, The Ifs is a story with a lot of promise. With good editing, much less narration, and more dialogue The Ifs would be an outstanding read. I am hoping to read a second edition—and revise this review. Kids will love this story when this occurs and I sincerely hope it does. The author has the ability to construct a story, knows how to increase the tension, and build the plot. Learning how to write is an ongoing lesson. With a few lessons in those problem areas and J. D. Pooker (a pen name), will be writing award-winning children’s books.

(received from author)
Originally reviewed on Kid Lit Reviews: http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2013/05/31/review-the-ifs-by-j-d-pooker/… (meer)

The Ifs is a tale about strange little men that live in the woods and about siblings and how great they really can be. Pooker did a very good job at keeping the plot imaginative and interesting for middle grade readers. I found the sentences to be a little short and choppy in the beginning but as the story got underway it either became less noticeable or improved. Landon and Broden are typical fighting brothers, having to share space and time and instigating one another throughout the days. The plot follows them as they find out about the Ifs, a race of small men that live in the woods, and need the boys' help.

At only 150 pages this was a short interesting read, the creatures and animals were marvelous elements that had me reading as fast as I could to find out what happened. The copy I received for review was a PDF and there were a few minor errors, like 'to' instead of 'do' but those could be easily overlooked for the descriptive, interesting characters and story.

Recently I have been reading a lot of middle grade books, this was a good one but not one of my favorites of the month, thus the 'liked it' rating. I would recommend it for young readers and siblings.… (meer)

Fantasy Adventure for ages 8 and up.

Landon and Broden are brothers. Sometimes they get along. Well, sometimes they don't. But when they find out who's behind the weird happenings in their house, they are called to battle.

The main characters have all sorts of adventures and the reader actually feels a part of the story. I think it is very important that children think reading is fun and the books from The If’s provide a wonderful introduction to book reading!

The moment the book arrived I had to break up a minor fight over who got the book first. We went to a 15 minute oven timer to determine turns. After an hour my granddaughter relented to my grandson. He read the book, cover to cover, in the first night. He reports it is the best book he has read.

Long story short, the book has a positive and fun story.

Very Enjoyable, Team Work, Author illuminates problem-solving and Highly Recommended!… (meer)