Thomas Docherty (1)Besprekingen

I love this, It was so cute!

A Book Review- The Snatchabook ‎by Helen Docherty, Author and Illustrator, Thomas Docherty. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Illustrated edition (October 1, 2013)
“Tap! Tap! The noise came really fast. Before they looked around, the book was gone–without a sound.” In the long dark autumn evenings in Burrow Down, a terrible thing was happening–storybooks are disappearing even as they are being read. Author Helen Docherty and her husband illustrator Thomas Docherty combine their talents for a second time in this rhyming picture book. (They previously co-authored Ruby Nettleship and the Ice Lolly Adventure, which Thomas also illustrated (2010).)
Written in rhyming couplets gathered in quatrains and six-line stanzas, The Snachabook is Helen’s first venture into rhyming stories. The effort is a resounding success that begs The Snatchabook to be read out loud: “Her curtains opened, just a chink. She barely had time to blink. Her storybook just disappeared! Eliza Brown found that very weird.”
Not only did Eliza Brown’s storybooks disappear, but they were vanishing from every den, burrow, warren, and hideaway in Burrow Downs. Eliza is determined to solve the mystery of what or who is absconding with all the bedtime storybooks.
If Helen Docherty’s rhymes add joy to the story’s language, Thomas Docherty’s Illustrations convey a depth of emotions and information far beyond the text. Most of The Snatchabook is rendered at night and although the moon is cold, white and full, it only illuminates a glimpse of something strange with wings and a long peculiar tail. With a green hue added to the dark blue night sky, thin black clouds streaking across the sky, and leaves blowing wildly off the nearly bare trees, his illustrations recall an autumn night as imagined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Madeleine L’Engle or Snoopy–it was indeed a dark and stormy night.
The warm, rich reddish brown earth surrounds the setts, dens, burrows, warrens, and other homey hideaways that are colored in warm yellows and oranges contrasting with the cold sky. The rounded images, together with bright cozy comforters, fluffy pillows, and hooked rugs on the floor, further the distinction between the safe and snug homes and the scary night. But is it really safe?
“The wind blew wild across the sky. The smallest squirrel heard a cry. ‘What’s that?’ she whispered to her dad. But then - and this was really bad–before they’d had a chance to look, she’d lost her very favorite book.”
In one of the few daylight scenes in the book, the residents, badgers, squirrels, rabbits, owls, and hedgehogs of Burrow Downs gather in the village green. The worried expressions, hand gestures, and the segregation of each household, along with several insightful thought bubbles, reveal neighbors suspecting neighbors. The community is rife with rumor and suspicion.
As Eliza Brown watches this scene in dismay, she decides that the mystery must be solved without delay. She devises a plan and baits a trap that very night. The tension reaches its height when after waiting most of the night Eliza sees a huge monstrous shadow with pointed ears that stretches from her bedroom window to the large stack of books, the bait. Although telling herself she is not scared, she is terrified - the reader not so much. Thomas Docherty has by now shown enough cameos of the creature that it is obviously neither large nor monstrous. And, what kind of scary fiend would leave behind a trail of fairy dust and stars?
After Eliza Brown challenges the book thief, the little snatchabook introduces himself, and the sequence of simple illustrations - that may be the best in the book- tell the story: Eliza’s surprise, the little snatchabook’s sorrow and contriteness, and finally Eliza’s compassion as she sets the little fellow on her knee and listens to his sad confession.
The Snatchabook is a charming rhyming picture book that is neither trite nor shallow. Although probably enjoyed most by the pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade crowd, older children will probably like reading this out loud to younger children. Adults will also enjoy reading, which is a bonus as it has an excellent chance of becoming a repeat request for a bedtime story.

Der Alltag in Nichtviellos verläuft sehr einheitlich – kurz: Der Name ist Programm. Diese Langeweile wird jäh unterbrochen, als das Zebra im Dorf auftaucht und seine Zaubershow präsentiert. Alle sind begeistert, nur Onkel Ziege nicht. Er tut alles, damit das Zebra wieder verschwindet.
Abrakazebra ist ein wirklich schönes Bilderbuch. Die Geschichte wird in Reimen erzählt, die manchmal zwar ein bisschen haken, aber das tut der Freude keinen Abbruch.
Ohne erhobenen Zeigefinger erfahren Kinder, dass Eifersucht nicht besonders gut ankommt und dass man andere nicht verleumden darf. Auch erfahren die Kinder, dass das Wort „Entschuldigung“ wirklich ein Zauberwort sein kann.
Die zauberhaften Illustrationen zeigen viele Details und untermalen die Geschichte ganz wundervoll. Das Cover fällt gleich ins Auge durch seine Farbgestaltung.
Da Buch kommt bei den Kindern gut an und es gibt für sie einiges zu entdecken.
Ein sehr schönes Kinderbuch.

Beautiful illustrations and the rhyme scheme is very good (one or two hitches; note that I was reading quickly). Not sure why no insta-love from me, exactly. (I would buy it if kids' books weren't so dad-blammed expensive these days.)

In this rhyming picture book, someone is stealing all of the books from Burrow Down. One character sets out to find who is taking all of their books. When she discovers the truth, she decides to help him make it right.

In spite of a rainy day a young boy has many adventures. Striking images will appeal to kids as they imagine their own adventures.

This story is about a big scary monster who lives at the top the hill. In this story the big scary monster finds joy in scaring all the other animals that live at the bottom of the hill. Eventually the animals seemed to have disappeared and so the monster wonders what is going on. He decides to explore, when he does all of the animals turn against the big scary monster and scare him. The monster is very upset by this and runs away. After this the monster realizes that the feelings he felt when the animals scare him is how the animals feel when he scares them. They then decide to live in harmony. This story reminds me of the Grinch and the Who's in Whoville. The Grinch likes to Steal Christmas and scare all of the Who's in a Whoville, as the story progresses we find out why the Grinch hates Christmas and why he wants to scare people. After events take place the Who's and the Grinch can live in harmony. Therefore, the story of the Big Scary Monster and the Grinch seem to be very similar.

Just finished the galley of "The Snatchabook", can I just say how much I ❤ this book! @Sourcebooks.

Perfect for family storytime.

Read it with a child on your lap. The word play is lovely and mysterious. Have a little Snacthabook join you!

I loved this. I went with four stars instead of five, but I really can't say why. Fantastic illustrations; they remind me of Marla Frazee's, who I also love.

This charming little rhyming mystery will have your little ones cheering for Eliza Brown & on the edge of their seats waiting to catch a glimpse of the dreaded Snatchabook.

37 months - O always enjoys a monster book. Cute illustrations and the story was ok. Interesting idea, change in perspective from big to little... Putting the shoe on the other foot so to say.

Another one of the many books I read aloud with/to my boyfriend. It was such a good story about a book thief that was doing it only because he was so sad and depressed that no one would read him stories. A tale about jealousy and making things right again. A story of friendship and getting second chances.

I liked this book for three main reasons. First, I thought that the writing and language was enticing. The writing throughout the entire book rhymes, and there are cute, made-up words like "snatchabook", which is a small, squirrel/bat like animal who stole all of the books from the animals in the town of Burrow Down. I also liked that the illustrations showed the emotions and actions of the characters really well. There's a picture of the main character, Eliza Brown, that showed her gaining sympathy for the crying snatchabook when he explained how he stole the books because he had no one to read to him. The final reason I liked this book, which is also the central message, is because throughout the simple plot everyone loves to read. Every character was devastated when their books went missing. The story encourages reading and in the conclusion, where the snatchabook gets to read with all different types of families, everyone is happy to be reading again. This book highlights how important reading should be to young kids, and I thought that was a very important message.

A fun story for bedtime. ages 3 & up

Watching her bear in the washing machine makes Flora think of all the fun times they hvae had together.

A lonely little critter who loves books but has no one to read to them is stealing them from the denizens of Burrow Down.

good bedtime book for kids age 4-6

time to wash the teddy bear

I did not enjoy anything in particular about this book because it seemed like an average picture book. There was nothing that made it stand out to me or be unique from the rest. I had mixed feelings about this book because I enjoyed the fact that it included animals and monsters, which interests most of the younger grades. I also liked that they had a separate page for the word “Boo!” and really made that page show the scared emotion. I think the children would enjoy shouting out “Boo!” and really adding their excitement and voice to that word as they read. I did not like that the book had few words to it and did not really get into the plot or setting. It was a quick read and left me hoping for me by the time I had finished the book. I did not find anything descriptive or engaging to help keep the interest of the children. I want my students to sincerely find interest in a book and explore exceptional picture books that make them think and this one seemed too plain for my classroom. I think my students would read this then move onto the next one without even thinking twice about it. However, I did like the big idea that the book portrayed even though I had to read it twice to really get what I thought the message was. I think that the big idea is that when the monster was on top of the mountain, he felt big so he had no problem scaring all his friends when he thought they were smaller than him. Then, when he got to the bottom of the mountain and realized he was actually smaller than them, he was the one being scared and didn’t like that feeling. This teaches the lesson about putting yourselves in someone else’s shoes and seeing their point of view. Also, it teaches that you shouldn’t do to others what you wouldn’t like done to yourself because the monster loved scaring his friends, but hated when his friend’s scared him.

I love rhyming picture books and adorable stories about books & reading. In this one there's a mystery in Burrow Down: all of their books are being stolen! One little rabbit makes it her goal to solve the mystery and when she does the thief is a tiny little Snatchabook who has no one to read to him. :-( The good news is that it ends on a much happier note.

The Snatchabook is a skillfully rhymed bedtime story featuring the cutest little villain, a Snatchabook. The illustrations are cheerful but nuanced, and will offer many details to discover as the book is shared again and again. It's sure to be a bedtime favorite.

(review copies provided by NetGalley and the publisher at my request)

A brief interview with the author available on my blog http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-snatchabook-blog-tour.html

In every house in Burrow Down, bedtime books are read each night. The animals look forward to all kinds of tales about princesses, pirates, and faraway adventure. However, just as little rabbit Eliza Brown settles in with her book, it disappears. How very strange. That night books everywhere disappear without a sound, and bedtime just isn't the same without a story. Night after night the thief returns until Eliza Brown decides to find the culprit. With a simple plan and a pile of books, Eliza waits and waits. What flies in through her window is a surprise. Will Eliza be able to solve the mystery or have the books disappeared from Burrow Down forever? Read this charming tale to discover who's been stealing all the bedtime stories.

The Bottom Line: Children ages 3 - 6 will enjoy the catchy rhyming verse in this adorable picture book. The imaginative illustrations are pleasing to the eye and fun to look at. Highly recommended for bedtime reading or story hour.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog.

Delightful story told in rhyme about the Snatchabook, who takes books from bedrooms each night. Eliza Brown plays detective and catches the poor, sad Snatchabook. He has no one to read to him. With the return of all the books, Eliza makes certain he has a story read to him each night from that time on. Wonderful illustrations, full of details that add to the text. Will be an excellent read aloud to a group or one on one.

Reviewed from Netgalley.

"Received this book from Sourcebooks for review"

Deep in the forest all the little animals are snuggling down for a nice bedtime story. All of sudden their books start to disappear! Who is the thief that is stealing all the books? Brave Eliza Brown is determined to find out. Can she save the books?

This is a charming story of a little misunderstood book thief and a brave bunny. Told in verse, this book begs to be read aloud for story time. The pictures are soft, full of cute forest animals and perfect for children. The story has a happy ending about righting wrongs without being too preachy. A cute addition to any children's library.½