LI Reviews » Kids Books http://www.li-reviews.com Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:59:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Book Review: Marvel Heroes Mix & Match Storybook http://www.li-reviews.com/2007/01/11/book-review-marvel-heroes-mix-match-storybook/ http://www.li-reviews.com/2007/01/11/book-review-marvel-heroes-mix-match-storybook/#comments Thu, 11 Jan 2007 06:49:01 +0000 Dom and Ash http://li-reviews.com/2007/01/11/book-review-marvel-heroes-mix-match-storybook/ The Marvel Heroes Mix & Match Storybook is a perfect addition to a child's library. Sure to entice your child's love of creativity and Super Heroes this book works on many levels for children of middle ages that are interested in creating their own stories from books they are interested in reading. ]]> Donning a load of ferocious looking Super Heroes, the Marvel Heroes Mix & Match Storybook offers hundreds of ways and combinations for kids to make a story. The book is simple and entertaining. Propping the book on its side you are able to make use of five cut-up sections. Each section creates a story. You move the storyboard on each section to a place you want it, or you just flip from tile to tile, and a story emerges.

Kids of various ages will have fun with this book but that is not the only reason that it’s a decent choice for your child’s collection. Not only will it get them looking at books, it will entice your child to be more creative. There are five sections for them to create the basis of a story.

For example, flipping through the book just now, I came up with the following:

The Red Skull targeted his time stopper at the white house, but it was suddenly destroyed by the Hulk’s Giant Green Fists.

While this tells a child a story it can also be made into a base plot for them to continue the tale. Ask them what happened in between point A and B or even after the day has been saved.

The graphics in the Marvel Heroes Mix & Match Storybook are delightful. Drawn in true comic book style, each line is defined, the colors are vibrant, and the pictures are very specific. Many of them seem to pop right out of the book, which kids will appreciate as they make their stories.

According to the book cover there is a possibility to make thousands of stories from this book. The cover claims 40,000 adventures can be made with this one book. Your children will be able to flip tiles for good guys, bad guys, locations, weapons of destruction, and ways those weapons are destroyed. Younger children may find the book to be harder to read and the themes (mainly the weapons usage) might be too old for them to understand.

However, if I had to put an appropriate age on this book I would start at about 6 and go up to 10. Children over 10 may not find it as exciting and children under 6 may not be advanced enough to handle the topics, even if resolution is offered with the flip of a tile.

Bottom Line: The Marvel Heroes Mix & Match Storybook is an excellent addition to a middle-aged child’s library. It will initiate creativity and spark an interest in the fantastic world of Super heroes, if they do not already have one. Best suited for children age 6-10, this book would be great for a story time event where the parents took an active role in helping their children make a story from this book. Of course, it could very easily be used to entertain a child on their own for hours at a time.

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]]> http://www.li-reviews.com/2007/01/11/book-review-marvel-heroes-mix-match-storybook/feed/ 0 Book Review: Marvel Super Hero Fact Book http://www.li-reviews.com/2006/12/22/book-review-marvel-super-hero-fact-book/ http://www.li-reviews.com/2006/12/22/book-review-marvel-super-hero-fact-book/#comments Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:05:18 +0000 Dom and Ash http://li-reviews.com/2006/12/22/book-review-marvel-super-hero-fact-book/ Perfect for younger and middle aged children as well as people who are curious about some of the most popular Super Heroes in the Marvel Universe, the Marvel Super Hero Fact Book definitely does not disappoint.

The Marvel Super Hero Fact Book is a strong, board book that is wonderful for kids who are harder on their reading materials than others. They will be able to bang this around and the book will be none the worse for wear. Of course, when they see all the offerings on the inside of the book you might notice them sitting and reading or looking at the full fold-out pages rather than banging it around like they might other books.

Choosing the top five Super Heroes was no easy task. However, there is a good balance represented in this book. There are superheros for both girls and boys. All the role models and the most entertaining characters are represented.

In the Super Hero Fact Book you will be able to learn more about Wolverine (Logan), Spider Man (Peter Parker), The Hulk (Dr. Robert Bruce Banner), Storm (Ororo Munroe), and the Fantastic Four (Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Sue Richards, and Johnny Storm).

Each section of the board book is dedicated to one of the aforementioned Heroes. You are able to fold out a large, dynamic poster of the hero you are learning about, which will is excellent for kids who want to see the heroes while learning more about their special skills.

When the pages are folded up you will be able to view the fact file for the hero you are reading about. The fact file comes in two forms. The opening page is the basic fact file where you learn the importance of the hero you are studying. The opening page offers enough information to interest kids about these heroes without boring them. In most cases, if they are interested in super heroes, this book will lead them to wanting to learn more through other Marvel products, games, books, and shows.

Meanwhile, on the second page you are offered the fact file containing enemy information. You are able to see slightly larger than thumbnail sized pictures of some evil villains as you learn why they are enemies to the hero you are reading about. The fact files offer a high-tech computer feel, showing a scroll-bar beside the paragraphs like you would see on a computer. Once the files have been read you are able to flip to the dynamic comic-style graphics of the hero of your choice while they are in action.

This book is ideal for children between the ages of 6-11. Based on maturity, children who are a little bit younger or a little bit older may like the book.

Marvel Superhero Fact Book

Our son, who is 12 enjoyed the book though the reading material was a
bit below his reading level. However, he does like Super Heroes so he
did not mind that very much.

Both of us are Super Hero fans. We enjoyed it. We thought it was cool for kids and both of us learned more about our favorite Super Heroes. While younger children might find the reading a bit too advanced, older individuals will not mind if the reading is a bit too simplistic for them.

All in all, the Super Hero Fact Book will make an excellent addition to any child’s library. If you notice your child has an interest in comic books, fantasy, or super heroes, you will definitely want to allow them to indulge in their interest with this fine starter book. With this book, your child will begin to learn about the characters as they feed their true fascination with Super Heroes.

Purchase the Marvel Super Hero Fact Book here.

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]]> http://www.li-reviews.com/2006/12/22/book-review-marvel-super-hero-fact-book/feed/ 0 Harry Potter fans Ruin the Books http://www.li-reviews.com/2006/08/04/harry-potter-fans-ruin-the-books/ http://www.li-reviews.com/2006/08/04/harry-potter-fans-ruin-the-books/#comments Sat, 05 Aug 2006 04:23:28 +0000 Ashtyn http://li-reviews.com/?p=12 Warning: If you are a diehard HP fan and refuse to listen to anyone present any possible negative views of the beloved story that is Harry then please stop reading. You won’t like what I have to say and you will complain, so let’s avoid that shall we? However, if you feel there is more to life than wizards, read on.

I have never been a huge Harry Potter fan. My son introduced me to the books somewhat when he wanted me to start buying them. Dominick later re-introduced them by going on and on about how I needed to read them. However, it was never something I got into enough to read any of the books. I have seen the movies because the family always goes to see them. For me, that is where it ends, as I doubt I will ever read a book.

I think the Internet dulls my perception and my fascination with Harry. There is too much information that borders on stalking. It’s bad enough stalking a real person, but a fake wizard? I mean, come on….

There are Harry message boards, blogs, fanfic sites, and article sites. I have even been hired to write character profiles. The person requested that I pay close attention to what I felt would happen in the series and then chided me when I mentioned things she did not want to hear.

I can get past all that though. Occasionally, everyone has an “off” client. What bothers me the most is not that it’s the Harry obsessions. I am not even talking about the kids that do it. I’m talking about the middle-aged women that love Harry.

There are sex stories on the Internet about Harry and Hermione, Ron and Hermione, and Ron and Harry. There are debates on which one she should end up with, in the series and in real life. The sad thing is these people do not realize there is anything wrong with having this blatantly odd fantasy.

If JK Rowling ever created a church of Harry these people would be sure to drop their respective religions and begin to worship. They refuse to believe that Harry is going to die at the end of the book, but would instead believe that he will live on, in a commune where He, Ron, and Hermione can live off the land and off of each other (if you know what I mean).

I agree that the novels were original. I do not think they are the best thing ever written. I do not think they are the quintessential novels for our time. I think they are a pop phenomenon that was created by decent writing and excellent marketing. The books don’t bother me; it’s the fans that I think need to be on valium and Prozac.

Many people wonder what will come of Harry after the books are all said and done. Harry, or in real life, Daniel, was once said to not be truly interested in acting and planned to pursuit a career as a veterinarian when all this was over. Now he is planning to expose himself on stage while riding a horse. One can only imagine how packed that theatre is going to be.

I can just see it now. There is Daniel in the buff on horseback and in the audience, a bunch of middle-aged women, grinding their thighs together, while they wave their Gryffindor flags high.

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