Blog Tour: Helping Herbie Hedgehog by Melissa Abramovitz (Sara’s Review)

Helping Herbie Hedgehog
written by Melissa Abramovitz
published by Guardian Angel Publishing, 2015

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange  for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book: It wasn’t my favorite, but it was pretty good. I have to admit I had high hopes for this particular story. I read through it myself before introducing it to my little critic, and I thought the rhymes were cute and fun. I really enjoyed how the story asks the reader to participate in Herbie’s decisions–especially the silly ones. I thought my son and I would have a good laugh over whether Herbie should use the tea kettle, the vacuum, or the washing machine to clean his clothes.

It turns out, however, that my son wasn’t interested at all. In fact, he was rather put out that Herbie thought that spaghetti grew on trees and that he could buy bread at the bank. He thought this story was too silly–the very reason I enjoyed it!

An aspect of this story that struck me as odd was that the “chapters” seemed completely superfluous. Why have chapters? Each chapter had a “theme” that all of the rhymes and decisions were about, but I didn’t see the need for the chapters. The transition between themes could have been done smoothly within the context of the story rather than just abruptly ending a chapter and starting a new one. I also didn’t see the need for SO MANY chapters. This book was way longer than it needed to be. There was no actual plot, just fun rhymes about Herbie’s decisions in different situations like cooking, exercising, getting dressed, etc. It would have been just as fun if it was half the length.

The illustrations are vivid and fun to look at. They accurately depict the crazy situations Herbie gets himself into. They did, however, look a little too computer generated for my taste. I am a fan of old-fashioned illustrations, but these ones certainly fit the story and do a good job bringing Herbie to life.

Would I recommend it: This book would be really fun for a child who has been communicating for a while and is just starting to expand vocabulary and make connections between common place objects and situations. I really like the idea of going through the story with a young child and asking them to help Herbie make the best decisions. So yes, if you have a youngster who enjoys fun rhymes and silly questions, go ahead and pick this up!

About the book – from Goodreads: Children will delight in helping the clueless Herbie Hedgehog go places and navigate other everyday activities as they read this interactive picture book/early chapter book. Delightful rhymes make learning about everyday things fun!Recommended for children ages 2-7

 

 

About the author: Melissa Abramovitz has been a freelance writer/author for 30 years. She’s the author of hundreds of magazine articles for all age groups, from preschoolers through adults; more than 40 educational books for children and teenagers; numerous poems and short stories; the children’s picture books ABCs of Health and Safety and Helping Herbie Hedgehog; and a book for writers titled A Treasure Trove of Opportunity: How to Write and Sell Articles for Children’s Magazines. Melissa graduated from the University of California San Diego with a degree in psychology and is also a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature. She is a member of SCBWI and The Working Writer’s Club.