January | 2024 | Jess Reviews a Book

When you don’t like a book?

That’s what I’m going to discuss today. Why? Because I took two picture books out of the library yesterday and I chose them solely based on their covers. (I know, I know.) I had high hopes. Both books had kind of a fun, friendly vibe. Both books appeared, on the outside, to be something that they very much weren’t on the inside.

The long and short of it is: I didn’t like them. Either of them. I wouldn’t have read them to my kids (if they were still picture book aged), and I wouldn’t buy them for our home library. They were strange in a not-good way, and both stories were really, really shallow. I. Didn’t. Like. Them. At. All.

So, as a reviewer, I wouldn’t have many positive things to say about them. But those not-positive things would be honest. And maybe they’d stop someone from choosing these books in the future.

Which, I don’t know. Is that fair?

There have been books that I have absolutely LOVED that others have not. And vice versa. An example? You know I’ve got one.

I’ve recently been reading The Professor and the Madman (it’s about the making of the OED), and I’ve gotta be honest…it’s a slow read for me. I’m a huge word-nerd, so I was excited to read this one…but…I’ve had to set page goals for myself each day. I WANT to get through it, it’s just taking forever. So, in hopes of finding some like-minded friends, I checked Goodreads and found that many, many people felt the same way as I did. Whew. I’m not alone. But OTHER people absolutely loved it. Like, adored the book.

In terms of reviewing kid-lit, it feels more personal to me. As a writer myself, I know how hard it is to actually GET a book to the publishing stage, to go through the editing process/waiting process/more waiting…and then to get the book reviewed! It’s scary. It’s nerve-wracking. A bad review can make your day so, so awful.

So, to that end, I’m going to do what I’ve always done: I’m going to review books I like. I’m not all about ‘positive vibes only,’ (I hate that saying, actually), but I also don’t believe in giving a totally negative review. If there are one or two things I dislike, sure. But if the whole book is a no for me, I’m just going to load it back in the car and ship it back to the library.*

*The one exception to this is my really old, really crappy picture book collection. Those books are from at least 30-40 years ago, and they’re all objectively terrible.

Title: A Duck Called Brian
Author:/Illustrator Al Murphy
Published By: Scholastic Press 2021

I’m not sure I’ve ever told you guys this, but I love ducks. Like, really love. As in, when I see them at a park or by the pond near our house, I literally crouch down and quack at them, hoping they’ll come closer. Sure, they usually look the other way and/or hide their faces due to second-hand embarrassment, but whatever. I’m not going to stop. It’s who I am.

Anyway, when my kids were at the Scholastic Book Fair at their school, they spotted A Duck Called Brian and they knew I must have it. They understand my love of ducks and we’ve all made a secret pact that if the opportunity ever arises, we’ll own a duck and not tell Karl.

Which, you know, will be tricky. How to explain a third, feathered daughter? How to convince Karl it’s maybe some kind of dog breed he’s unfamiliar with? Those are the kinks we have to work out, but that’s a problem for future Jess.

Current Jess is going to tell you all about the book!

It all starts with Brian, a blue duck* Brian is, obviously, quite unique. He has a few likes, including but not limited to milk, Duck Nuts cereal and his best bud, Gregory.

Unfortunately for Brian, his day gets off to a rocky start when he realizes he’s out of Duck Nuts and milk. So, he decides to find Gregory and complain about it to him. (Hey, that’s what besties are for, right?)

Sadly, Gregory is nowhere in sight. Well, nowhere in Brian’s sight. Clever readers will be able to spot Gregory right away — he’s in a hot air balloon, behind the fence, flying an airplane, in a vase, in a crowd…and…well, you get the idea. He’s everywhere, but Brian just doesn’t see him. Brian DOES see other ducks having a blast, but he doesn’t join in on any of the fun. He is a duck on a mission: find Gregory.

Just as Brian is at the end of his rope, he discovers something: a magic door. He goes through it (somewhat accidentally) and ends up in a strange world of magical pink characters (a frog, a crocodile, a snail, anthropomorphic milk). They offer him a free wish — anything he wants!

Brian makes his wish and…it turns out to be exactly what he’d been hoping to find all day. (Spoiler alert: it’s Gregory…but not JUST Gregory!)

The art in this book is super-cute. The simplicity reminds me of Elise Gravel’s work a little bit. The colours are vibrant, and Brian is adorable.

If you’re looking for a good book about friendship, this is one to check out. Also, if you just happen to be obsessed with ducks, you’ll be delighted by this story.

I just realized: I’m kind of obsessed with blue ducks. There was one episode of Pokémon where Psyduck (my favourite Pokémon) was blue and I’ve been looking for a figurine/card/sticker/something to prove he really existed in that form ever since. (NB: Lily says it was ‘shiny’ Psyduck, but…he looked blue to me).