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Sing in Praise: A Collection of the Best Loved Hymns

February 22, 2020

Children’s books were different back then.

It includes the actual scores to all of these, with words. For a child to like this book, they'd have to be very interested in the history of hymns. It's mildly interesting from a historical standpoint, but probably not to children of today.

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Here's a list of hymns and some background information about them.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds

February 22, 2020

Rather too large to be a dainty dish.

It's kind of interesting from a historical standpoint, but I'm really unsure whether this was ever intended for children.

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It's important to remember all nursery rhymes.

The Sunny Adventure

January 4, 2020

Well, it's definitely sunny, and definitely an adventure.

The author is clearly an amateur, although quite prolific. It could be a lot shorter. It's hard to tell whether the author has potential or not. They definitely tried. It's a decent showing for an amateur.

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Don't eat your friends? "Friends are not betrayed"? You can't eat the sun?

Odd Dog Out

January 4, 2020

Odd Books are In.

What is good about being different? Why is it good to be who you are? There's no justification for her coming to this conclusion or the feeling that the other characters have. It's just silly.

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Be different, because we said so.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Modern Retelling

January 4, 2020

Beautiful book, needs a bit more work.

The book has its problems, and it needs more polish. But it's got a lot of great stuff, and I look forward to seeing more of what these guys come up with. If they learn what they can from their constructive criticism, they could make something amazing.

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Be brave.

The Girl Who Said Sorry

November 3, 2019

Sorry, not sorry.

Whatever color you want to wear is irrelevant. It shouldn't matter to anybody else's happiness, and if it does, it's not your fault.

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Don't be sorry for things that you do that don't hurt anyone else.

Millions of Cats

November 3, 2019

Any more than two, and you're the Crazy Cat Person.

Basically, that cat has low self-esteem (as a cat owner, I can tell you that's pretty rare) and decided that he was definitely not the prettiest, so he didn't bother fighting and nobody fought him.

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People will love you if you're ugly. Or, if you're ugly, no one will want to eat you.

Fantastic Daisy Artichoke

November 3, 2019

At least she doesn't like to smoke.

It's pretty short. There's only a few words per spread, and it comes across as feeling brief.

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Playing with people is fun.

The Jumblies

November 3, 2019

All jumblied up.

These illustrations are very interesting. The pig they buy is the color of the sky, clouds and all. There's a giant, realistic looking, Stilton cheese. It's... interesting. It's not great, but it's not bad. It's just goofy.

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If you do something impossible, everybody will be jealous. Or, maybe there is no message.

Roar Like a Dandelion

November 3, 2019

Mew like a pussywillow.

The nonsense is more meandering than playful, which doesn't really capture my interest like Quentin Blake's better stuff. I'd put this book on the good side of "meh", but still "meh".

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It's enjoyable to be outside in nature.