tldr

Song of Robin Hood

October 15, 2020

It’s pretty, but it’s not a kids’ book.

Everybody who made this put so much thought into it, and it's a beautiful book. But the 115 page book is enormous, and it shouldn't be marketed as a children's book. It's really a scholarly work.

Message

It's important to preserve cultural heritage such as Robin Hood.

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.

Message

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.

Message

It's important to remember all nursery rhymes.

Shackleton's Journey

May 24, 2018

Tiny people on a massive journey in a massive book.

Way too many words. Skimming this, it appears to be drawings made with pastels, I would guess, with little tiny details everywhere. There's a crew with 12 people on one page and 15 on the other-- little tiny pictures-- and their names and positions on the ship. The text in this book is TINY. The book is huge, and the text is like seven point font.

Message

These people crossed Antarctica in 1901.

The Iron Man (AKA The Iron Giant)

December 4, 2017

Very different from movie. Spoilers in review.

The illustrations are great, if a little abstract. The text design is also quite inventive. As far as the story goes, it's... strange. The text is well-written, but the plot goes in unusual directions that aren't properly foreshadowed. The ending chapters totally come out of left field. It really reads like a dream, where everything makes sense until after it's over and you're just sitting there going, "How did I think that made any sense while it was happening?"

Message

Befriend everything of unknown origin; it's definitely peaceful.