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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This was the first chapter book read aloud my 3 year old really engaged with. He loved it and so did my 6 year old! Great illustrations and a story with lots of imagination and action. This book is the perfect addition to the Princess in Black/Mercy Watson early chapter book shelf.
Beautiful art. Great for reading aloud to little kids.
Auggie lives on an island with an amazing set of stables, which he is in charge of. The stables are full of magical creatures like a Gargantula. Auggie’s companions include Fen, a “stick-in-the-mud” that change into whatever Auggie needs him to be. A woman named Miss Bundt also lives there, near the Plotting Shed, where she builds things that the island’s owner, Professor Cake, requests. Auggie is happy minding the stables but wishes for a friend. One day, the stables shudder as a new stall is added. Inside the stall is a swamp, where Auggie meets Willa, a wispy critter who thrives in the moonlight. However, Auggie doesn’t know that others are hunting Willa as well. Who are they, and how can they outsmart them?
Auxier said his goal was to write a read aloud that the whole family would enjoy, and I think he did an excellent job. There is enough meat here to give people of all ages something to think about. Illustrations were not final in the ARC, but I liked what I saw. Demidova does a great job of catching the magical creatures, and they remind me a bit of Quentin Blake’s illustrations in Roald Dahl books. Expect to learn about lots of cool magical creatures and look for more books in the series to continue learning about who else wants these magical creatures.
I would hand this to those that also enjoyed books like Unicorn Rescue Society, Princess in Black, Owl Diaries, or Zoey and Sassafrass. If you are a fan of the author’s Peter Nimble series, familiar characters and places will be referenced along the way.
Auxier said his goal was to write a read aloud that the whole family would enjoy, and I think he did an excellent job. There is enough meat here to give people of all ages something to think about. Illustrations were not final in the ARC, but I liked what I saw. Demidova does a great job of catching the magical creatures, and they remind me a bit of Quentin Blake’s illustrations in Roald Dahl books. Expect to learn about lots of cool magical creatures and look for more books in the series to continue learning about who else wants these magical creatures.
I would hand this to those that also enjoyed books like Unicorn Rescue Society, Princess in Black, Owl Diaries, or Zoey and Sassafrass. If you are a fan of the author’s Peter Nimble series, familiar characters and places will be referenced along the way.
Auggie lives on an island with an amazing set of stables, which he is in charge of. The stables are full of magical creatures like a Gargantula. Auggie’s companions include Fen, a “stick-in-the-mud” that change into whatever Auggie needs him to be. A woman named Miss Bundt also lives there, near the Plotting Shed, where she builds things that the island’s owner, Professor Cake, requests. Auggie is happy minding the stables but wishes for a friend. One day, the stables shudder as a new stall is added. Inside the stall is a swamp, where Auggie meets Willa, a wispy critter who thrives in the moonlight. However, Auggie doesn’t know that others are hunting Willa as well. Who are they, and how can they outsmart them?
Auxier said his goal was to write a read aloud that the whole family would enjoy, and I think he did an excellent job. There is enough meat here to give people of all ages something to think about. Illustrations were not final in the ARC, but I liked what I saw. Demidova does a great job of catching the magical creatures, and they remind me a bit of Quentin Blake’s illustrations in Roald Dahl books. Expect to learn about lots of cool magical creatures and look for more books in the series to continue learning about who else wants these magical creatures.
I would hand this to those that also enjoyed books like Unicorn Rescue Society, Princess in Black, Owl Diaries, or Zoey and Sassafrass. If you are a fan of the author’s Peter Nimble series, familiar characters and places will be referenced along the way.
Thank you Netgally for the review copy
Auxier said his goal was to write a read aloud that the whole family would enjoy, and I think he did an excellent job. There is enough meat here to give people of all ages something to think about. Illustrations were not final in the ARC, but I liked what I saw. Demidova does a great job of catching the magical creatures, and they remind me a bit of Quentin Blake’s illustrations in Roald Dahl books. Expect to learn about lots of cool magical creatures and look for more books in the series to continue learning about who else wants these magical creatures.
I would hand this to those that also enjoyed books like Unicorn Rescue Society, Princess in Black, Owl Diaries, or Zoey and Sassafrass. If you are a fan of the author’s Peter Nimble series, familiar characters and places will be referenced along the way.
Thank you Netgally for the review copy
Read aloud to the younger 3 in one sitting. We loved this new early reader book by a favorite author. This is a fantasy story with fantastic illustrations. As early fantasy books go, the plot in this was far better than many we’ve read, with a great setup for more books in the series. I think some of the foreshadowing for future books went over my you get kids’ heads, but my 7 year old was just tickled throughout especially.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an e-ARC of Jonathan Auxier’s new children’s book The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp.
Already having an affinity for everything Jonathan Auxier writes, I knew I would fall just as hard for his new series specifically designed to be read-aloud.
While I did read this book first for myself, I read it aloud to my two younger children. They were delighted in meeting Auggie, who lives on an island with magical stables filled with extraordinary one-of-a-kind creatures! Each character introduced adds to the wonder and awe of Auxier’s imagination, from the Hippopotomouse, to the Bush Squid and to Fen—the pessimistic and literal “stick in the mud.
Auxier has created yet another fantastical world full of rich new characters along with some familiar faces, such as Professor Cake! The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp introduces a whole new generation of readers to Auxier’s imaginative storytelling!
I am looking forward to the release of this book and the final illustrations, created by Olga Demidova, which enhance the magic of the story.
Already having an affinity for everything Jonathan Auxier writes, I knew I would fall just as hard for his new series specifically designed to be read-aloud.
While I did read this book first for myself, I read it aloud to my two younger children. They were delighted in meeting Auggie, who lives on an island with magical stables filled with extraordinary one-of-a-kind creatures! Each character introduced adds to the wonder and awe of Auxier’s imagination, from the Hippopotomouse, to the Bush Squid and to Fen—the pessimistic and literal “stick in the mud.
Auxier has created yet another fantastical world full of rich new characters along with some familiar faces, such as Professor Cake! The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp introduces a whole new generation of readers to Auxier’s imaginative storytelling!
I am looking forward to the release of this book and the final illustrations, created by Olga Demidova, which enhance the magic of the story.
This is perfect for emerging readers ready to move onto beginning chapter books. With a bit of adventure, magical creatures and a brave protagonist, this book will appeal to many readers.
Auggie is a little boy who is in charge of The Fabled Stables. The Fabled Stables holds many one-of-a-kind creatures. One day, a new stall appears for an unknown creature. Auggie ventures into the swamp in the new stall and discovers a Wisp named Willa. He has to protect her from hunters, who are trying to capture Willa before she disappears when the sun rises.
I loved the variety of magical creatures in this story. There were some creatures who were based on things in real life, such as a tarantula who was as big as a person named a Garantula. There was a stick-in-the-mud named Fen, who could transform into any item that Auggie needed at the moment, such as a rake. There was also Willa who was a wisp, a creature that is born one day but disappears when the moon sets.
In an author’s note at the beginning of the book, the author says that he wrote this book to be read out loud to children. Some books may read well, but don’t sound the same when they’re read aloud. Sometimes in stories with magical creatures, their names can be complicated and difficult to pronounce. Though there are made-up creatures in this story, their names are easy to say. Some of the dialogue rhymed, which makes it fun to read as well.
This is the great first story in the Fabled Stables series!
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the variety of magical creatures in this story. There were some creatures who were based on things in real life, such as a tarantula who was as big as a person named a Garantula. There was a stick-in-the-mud named Fen, who could transform into any item that Auggie needed at the moment, such as a rake. There was also Willa who was a wisp, a creature that is born one day but disappears when the moon sets.
In an author’s note at the beginning of the book, the author says that he wrote this book to be read out loud to children. Some books may read well, but don’t sound the same when they’re read aloud. Sometimes in stories with magical creatures, their names can be complicated and difficult to pronounce. Though there are made-up creatures in this story, their names are easy to say. Some of the dialogue rhymed, which makes it fun to read as well.
This is the great first story in the Fabled Stables series!
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.