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geekwayne's review
5.0
'If I Had a Gryphon' by Vikki VanSickle with illustrations by Cale Atkinson is a laugh out loud book of "what if" choices for pet owners.
When Sam gets a hamster for a pet, she is a bit underwhelmed. She imagines what owning grander (and imaginary) pets might look like and discovers that they would hold their own excitement. Perhaps a bit too much. She thinks about owning a dragon, a gryphon, a hippogriff, a kraken and many others. They all pose their own problems. Imagine what happens when a dragon sneezes? Or the fact that you need the proper gear to hang with your pet kraken.
The prose is in perfect lilting rhyme. I had to find someone to read it out loud to, and it was perfectly metered. And the illustrations are the best! I laughed out loud at the story and pics and I know younger readers will too. This will be on my gift list for friends and family with young readers.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House of Canada Limited, Tundra Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this hilarious ebook.
When Sam gets a hamster for a pet, she is a bit underwhelmed. She imagines what owning grander (and imaginary) pets might look like and discovers that they would hold their own excitement. Perhaps a bit too much. She thinks about owning a dragon, a gryphon, a hippogriff, a kraken and many others. They all pose their own problems. Imagine what happens when a dragon sneezes? Or the fact that you need the proper gear to hang with your pet kraken.
The prose is in perfect lilting rhyme. I had to find someone to read it out loud to, and it was perfectly metered. And the illustrations are the best! I laughed out loud at the story and pics and I know younger readers will too. This will be on my gift list for friends and family with young readers.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House of Canada Limited, Tundra Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this hilarious ebook.
literarylover37's review
5.0
I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House via Netgalley in exchange for a review.
Our young female protagonist has just gotten her first pet, a hamster, but finding this pet a little lacking she dreams instead of all of the exciting creatures from mythology she could have instead. As we see though, there are pros and cons to each pet and having one of these beings for a pet may not be all it's cracked up to be.
This is a typical story of "the grass is always greener on the other side" done in a really fun way. I loved the illustrations. They are super cute and our MC has so much personality and expression in each. This book is a good introduction of these creatures to kids, and it also features some advanced vocabulary which is nice. While the rhyming pattern makes it easy to read, you'll want to slow down and really enjoy each of the pictures and discuss the words with kids. It's also a good opportunity to talk with children about being happy with what you have. I certainly enjoyed this creative story and would definitely share it with my kids. The final illustration is a very nice touch as well.
Our young female protagonist has just gotten her first pet, a hamster, but finding this pet a little lacking she dreams instead of all of the exciting creatures from mythology she could have instead. As we see though, there are pros and cons to each pet and having one of these beings for a pet may not be all it's cracked up to be.
This is a typical story of "the grass is always greener on the other side" done in a really fun way. I loved the illustrations. They are super cute and our MC has so much personality and expression in each. This book is a good introduction of these creatures to kids, and it also features some advanced vocabulary which is nice. While the rhyming pattern makes it easy to read, you'll want to slow down and really enjoy each of the pictures and discuss the words with kids. It's also a good opportunity to talk with children about being happy with what you have. I certainly enjoyed this creative story and would definitely share it with my kids. The final illustration is a very nice touch as well.
ah_bee_'s review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My boyfriend and I enjoyed the illustrations throughly, however, I must admit that the pace was inconsistent which resulted in the last quarter of the book (4ish pages) left a lot of juicy and interesting mythological details off the literary table.
ciaralo's review
5.0
This book was just so dang cute. The illustrations were just BEAUTIFUL and all the different creatures were so much fun. Definitely a must buy!
jmanchester0's review
5.0
Sam is a girl after my own heart.
And I would have loved this book when I was her age.
Even dinosaurs weren‰ЫЄt exotic enough for me when I was young; just as her hamster seems a bit boring to Sam.
We love monsters. Fascinated by the gryphon, manticore, and chimera, to imagine these sorts of creatures is much more interesting than real animals (whether a pet or extinct). And the diversity of mythological creatures is amazing - especially for a children‰ЫЄs book.
And the rhymes and pictures (along with the animals) just made me smile throughout, reminding me of my love for fantastic creatures. It makes me wish my kids were still in preschool or kindergarten so I could read this to them.
Highly recommended - especially if you have a little one with a big imagination.
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Tundra Books for a copy in return for an honest review.
And I would have loved this book when I was her age.
Even dinosaurs weren‰ЫЄt exotic enough for me when I was young; just as her hamster seems a bit boring to Sam.
We love monsters. Fascinated by the gryphon, manticore, and chimera, to imagine these sorts of creatures is much more interesting than real animals (whether a pet or extinct). And the diversity of mythological creatures is amazing - especially for a children‰ЫЄs book.
And the rhymes and pictures (along with the animals) just made me smile throughout, reminding me of my love for fantastic creatures. It makes me wish my kids were still in preschool or kindergarten so I could read this to them.
Highly recommended - especially if you have a little one with a big imagination.
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Tundra Books for a copy in return for an honest review.
librarianryan's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
A child has just gotten a pet hamster. It’s slow, and lazy, and makes a mess in its cage that has to be cleaned. If only the child could have a gryphon, or a unicorn, or a manticore. But each of those take their own special care as well. Join the fun rhyming ride as a child makes a pro and con list of various mythical creatures for pets. It just may make your kids realize that dragons wouldn’t make a good pet.
erine's review
5.0
One of the cutest pet books ever. Looking for something more grand than a hamster, our main character contemplates fantastic animals. At first these mythical beasts sound like fun, but after more thought these creatures aren't so great.
The pacing is spot on: each beasty is rejected faster and faster until the final conclusion. The pictures are bright and expressive. Truly delightful and fun to read aloud.
The pacing is spot on: each beasty is rejected faster and faster until the final conclusion. The pictures are bright and expressive. Truly delightful and fun to read aloud.
elephant's review
5.0
Bored with her pet hamster, Sam reads a book about mythological creatures and imagines what it would be like to have one of those for a pet. She realizes that while a unicorn is lovely, it is also quite shy and a hippogriff would frighten many people and animals. I think that kids will enjoy seeing the variety of mythological creatures mentioned which include kraken, kirin and manticore and they may want to research the stories behind those creatures. The text is rhyming and fun and the illustrations are bright and cute. Eventually, Sam realizes that a conventional pet is probably best. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.
yeldahyousfi's review
5.0
This children's illustrated book was the cutest thing ever!! I read it with my younger cousin and she loved it <3
I recommend it to all ages!
I recommend it to all ages!