Book 5 of 2015

Fibles : Children's eBook by M.R. Everette
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really have mixed feelings about Fibles: Children's eBook by M.R. Everette. The cover is as cute as it can be with the characters in their "12 Grade A Eggs" carton which are a character from each of the 12 stories in the book. Even the small illustrations throughout the book are colorful and geared for children but the stories themselves is what I have the problem with. Although they are animal characters with fun names, the way it is written with the play on words and the subject of things a child wouldn't know (or at least most young children wouldn't know) or understand it makes it hard for me to agree this is a children's book.

I read bedtime stories to my soon-to-be 3 year old grandson and he doesn't have a clue what the play on words are. For example we don't have Ipads so he don't 'get it' that in the story it is an 'Ipaw'. In another story the calves nod in 'udder' agreement but he hasn't a clue what an udder is. Another story is about golf and no way is he going to get the play on the words of "putter" or "par for the course" which leads me to believe it is for older children so I tried it on my granddaughter who is a 6 year old. Again, even at the age 6, a lot of the 'fun' of he book was lost because she didn't understand the concept of Tweeting/Twitter, what Rastafarian is, or who Picasso was. So now I go to my grandson who is 8 and reads to himself. I figured this was perfect since he did read to himself he wouldn't miss the play on words but at age 8, he took one look at the book and didn't want to read a 'baby book' with cute little baby animals on the cover. He was way above that and more into the Harry Potter type books. So although the stories did have; lessons and morals, a cute cover, character names, and pictures, I just don't see where this is a child's book (at least without a whole lot of explaining). I thought it would be a good bedtime story book for the young ones but the purpose for bedtime stories is for the child to go to sleep not ask me questions every few minutes on what that is or what that meant. The only conclusion I come to is that this book is like the cartoon 'Family Guy,' or 'The Simpsons', it looks like a cartoon and therefor appealing to children but it really isn't for children.

Now with all that being said, I did enjoy the stories and during the day I do read to the children so that is when I would read these stories so I have plenty of time to explain and for them to ask questions when they don't understand something. They are good stories to open communication and teach them things like what 'internet' or 'Sears and Roebuck' are. I spend more time talking and explaining the story then actually reading it which means (at least for me) these are not 'quick' stories so I recommend that you should be sure you leave extra time for the explaining/answering questions part too. This way, it is a nice time of reading and talk/learning that you both/all will enjoy.

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