Pookster and the Practically Perfect Pickle / Pookster and the Unloose Tooth

Pookster and the Practically Perfect Pickle
By Rhonda Funk
Illustrations by Eric Kieninger

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 16 pages
Publisher: Fish Pond Kids; Pap/Cdr edition (September 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1935265415
ISBN-13: 978-1935265412
Price: $11.99

(From Amazon) "This silly story about an over-protective pickle eater teaches a valuable lesson on kindness and how our sweet words glorify God, but our sour words hurt people."

Pookster loves pickles. One day while eating one, she is so sure her little brother Bubs and his plastic G.I. Joe's are going to attack and steal her pickle that she yells at him. Mom sees the interaction and steps in, threatening to take her beloved pickle. She takes Pookster aside and gently reminds her what the Bible says hurtful words can do.

I get that a child might be in love with pickles. But I found it a little unbelievable that she would think her brother and his G.I. Joe's were planning an attack to steal her pickle when all he was doing was setting them up. I thought that was a little far-fetched.

What I enjoyed about the book was the Christian message of speaking kind words to one another, and the way the author used siblings to portray this. To solidify the message, the Proverbs bible verse, around which the story is based, is the focus of the last page. I thought the font used throughout the book was adorable, as were the illustrations.

Overall it was a cute story, but I probably would not have chosen it off the shelf. Thank you to Bring It On Communications for sending me this book for review, for which I was not compensated.

3/5 Stars

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Pookster and the Unloose Tooth
by Rhonda Funk
Illustrations by Eric Kieninger

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 16 pages
Publisher: Fish Pond Kids; Pap/Cdr edition (September 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1935265407
ISBN-13: 978-1935265405
Price: $11.99
Kindle version (available March 15, 2010): $2.99

Every kid looks forward to losing their first tooth, but reading the first page of this book gave me the willies! Pookster talks about how loose she and her brother like their teeth to be before they pull them out. "My brother Bubs likes to let his teeth be loose forever (you know until they are just hanging there)..." Ewww, does that bring back memories.

The message in this series is about God's timing. I thought this story was funnier and more realistic than Pookster and the Practically Perfect Pickle. When Pookster finally loses her two front teeth, she is upset that while eating spaghetti noodles she can't stop because she can't cut them off, and when she eats apples she leaves rows. It made me laugh.

Again, I loved the message, the font and the illustrations. I probably would have chosen this book off the shelf had I not been sent this review copy by Bring It On Communications. I was not compensated for this review.

4/5 Stars

Each book comes with a CD audio version for read-along, which is great for young readers.

Author Info (from Amazon):

Rhonda (Stafford) Funk was born on the outskirts of Seattle, Washington and grew up in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley. At the age of three she started playing the piano by ear and wrote her first song at the age of fifteen. Becoming a Christian in her late twenties, Rhonda began creating CDs and traveling, sharing her music and testimony across the nation.

Nearly a decade later she met best-selling author and speaker Sheri Rose Shepherd who encouraged her to follow through on writing a book series for kids. Besides her Pookster and Bubs™ series, Rhonda is also writing a book to encourage caregivers called "Who Cares For the Caregiver" (through her experience as a caregiver when her husband had cancer) and a book to minister those dealing with unexpected pregnancies called "The Truth About The Choice."