The English Roses
September 22, 2016
Video review.
Message
Don't hate people who seem too perfect because they might have tragic backstories.
Front Page View
Whatever
September 22, 2016
Gets sinister at the end.
Wow. I was not expecting the dark turn at the end.
Message
Be excited about things or nobody will care about you.
The Cabbage Princess
September 22, 2016
Prance, prance, I'm the Lord of the Forest!
Maybe the king needs to be taught a lesson, but The Lord of the Forest just gets to do whatever he wants because he's magical.
Message
Don't be a jerk or you might turn your daughter into a cabbage.
Seashore Story
September 22, 2016
Japan's version of the fairy realm.
The framing device for the story basically lampshades the fact that the story has a weird ending, which is even weirder.
Message
Don't forget about those who you love. The kids explicitly point out the moral in the book.
Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale
September 22, 2016
Too-long Russian fable about the handsome guy getting the girl.
I guess it's saved from being a bad book to read to kids by virtue of not really being a book to read to kids.
Message
If you're good looking, you can get away with anything. Or, women are property.
When Winter Comes
September 22, 2016
As bland as the snow.
Very repetitive. I certainly couldn't read this to my kid because it would drive me crazy.
Message
Descriptive. None.
Amazing Grace
September 22, 2016
Feelgood story where hard work pays off.
There's no deus ex machina, contrived kind of stuff here like many children's books have, which is great.
Message
If you're good at something, it doesn't matter who you are. You don't have to be a specific kind of person to be good at something.
Time to Get Dressed!
September 22, 2016
Toddlers don't need to see their failures depicted in a book.
It's a little bit silly, but not really all that funny.
Message
None.
Tap Tap Boom Boom
September 22, 2016
Forced, annoying rhymes and not much of a story.
Perhaps the diction is intentionally childlike? But no, then they wouldn't have used the word “congregate.”
Message
None. Just descriptive.
The Berenstain Bears' Sick Days
September 22, 2016
Almost good.
If it had some better illustrations, this one might actually be good.
Message
Taking care of sick kids is hard.