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jennifrencham's review against another edition
3.0
If you are looking for an entertaining children's story that kids and adults can enjoy together, look no further. From the creator of The Dangerous Book for Boys comes a story about Tollins, small winged creatures that are bigger than fairies but considerably smaller than humans.
5tami8's review against another edition
4.0
Tollins are not fairies. Though they both have wings, fairies are delicate creatures and much smaller....In addition, fairies cannot sing B-sharp....Tollins regard fairies as fluttery show-offs and occasionally use them to wipe out the insides of cups. Tollins are also a lot less fragile than fairies. In fact, the word "fragile" can't really be used about them at all. They are about as fragile as a housebrick.
So begins Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children. The book is divided into three stories: How to Blow Up Tollins, Sparkler and the Purple Death and Windbags and Dark Tollins. Each of these stories is in turn divided into chapters, making this an excellent read-aloud in classrooms or at home.
The main character is a Tollin named Sparkler who, due to being exploited by humans at a fireworks factory, becomes a scientist, determined to provide humans with an alternative to using Tollins as fireworks. Sparkler's stories are a unique mix of sweetness and tongue-in-cheek humor which will appeal to young children and adults alike.
Sparkler's ingenuity and determination are inspiring. Iggulden's ironic touches (particularly relating to the fairies, who are NOT treated well by the Tollins, who seem oblivious to this fact) and clever wordplay add a dimension to the stories that elevate them above a traditional children's story of fairy-like creatures. Lizzy Duncan's illustrations are quirky and an absolutely perfect complement to the theme and tone of the stories. The Tollins are depicted in purples and dark reds with a slightly old-fashioned quality and hysterically funny facial expressions.
There is much to be savored in Tollins. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience with these characters and their adventures and encourage anyone who enjoys a story for the sake of a good story and a good laugh to grab a copy!
lauramclain's review against another edition
4.0
Very entertaining read. On the surface, it's just a series of funny stories about Tolllins, which are small winged people, smaller than humans but larger than fairies. There are some laugh-out-loud lines like, "My father always said that sudden death teaches people a very valuable lesson." But underneath, there are valuable life lessons in racial prejudice, slavery and respect. Plus--science lessons! There's probably never before been a book published that includes the phrases "fairies," "gout," and "strontium carbonate."
amandabock's review against another edition
3.0
This was enjoyable up until the last few chapters. In fact, I was seriously considering reading it to my 2nd graders. It's just subversive enough, without being too much so. The writing is adequate, although over-simplified. There are whole scenes missing, and many of the jokes remind me of movie dialog. Nevertheless, I like the world of the Tollins. It's a kind of Borrowers meets wunderkind-saves-the-world. The ending, though, totally ruined it for me. It became a moralist treatise on the importance of science leading the future and the stupid people who would try to stop it.
Ultimately, I think it's the kind of children's book that is created by and for adults who really don't know anything about children's books, and will therefore think it's either cute or subversive.
Ultimately, I think it's the kind of children's book that is created by and for adults who really don't know anything about children's books, and will therefore think it's either cute or subversive.
tami_provencher's review against another edition
4.0
Tollins are not fairies. Though they both have wings, fairies are delicate creatures and much smaller....In addition, fairies cannot sing B-sharp....Tollins regard fairies as fluttery show-offs and occasionally use them to wipe out the insides of cups. Tollins are also a lot less fragile than fairies. In fact, the word "fragile" can't really be used about them at all. They are about as fragile as a housebrick.
So begins Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children. The book is divided into three stories: How to Blow Up Tollins, Sparkler and the Purple Death and Windbags and Dark Tollins. Each of these stories is in turn divided into chapters, making this an excellent read-aloud in classrooms or at home.
The main character is a Tollin named Sparkler who, due to being exploited by humans at a fireworks factory, becomes a scientist, determined to provide humans with an alternative to using Tollins as fireworks. Sparkler's stories are a unique mix of sweetness and tongue-in-cheek humor which will appeal to young children and adults alike.
Sparkler's ingenuity and determination are inspiring. Iggulden's ironic touches (particularly relating to the fairies, who are NOT treated well by the Tollins, who seem oblivious to this fact) and clever wordplay add a dimension to the stories that elevate them above a traditional children's story of fairy-like creatures. Lizzy Duncan's illustrations are quirky and an absolutely perfect complement to the theme and tone of the stories. The Tollins are depicted in purples and dark reds with a slightly old-fashioned quality and hysterically funny facial expressions.
There is much to be savored in Tollins. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience with these characters and their adventures and encourage anyone who enjoys a story for the sake of a good story and a good laugh to grab a copy!