Snickerdoodle!
A Tall Tale About a Powerful Pee-Wee!
Snickerdoodle the nephew of Yankee Doodle and the cousin of Polly Wolly Doodle is tiny enough to drive a motorized peanut brave enough to fight a tiger and clever enough to conquer a dragon by tickling him with a feather making him weak with laughter.
In this book which won the Mom’s Choice Award from the Just For Mom Foundation the diminutive Snickerdoodle saves Appleridge City from a pair of bank robbers who strike during a town parade. He tackles gigantic obstacles with a positive attitude a smile on his face and unwavering confidence making him a good role model for youngsters.
“If you give me a chance I know I won’t fail” he tells the sheriff. “I’ll capture those robbers and send them to jail.” Using teamwork and admirable cleverness Snickerdoodle fulfills his promise — he traps the bandits with gooey peanut butter sprayed from his Peanutmobile.
Children will enjoy the charming tale told with enough humor and suspense to keep them turning the pages. The story is written in rhyme and though strained in places it keeps young readers engaged. “Grosgebauer a former kindergarten teacher whose work has been published in The Washington Post Christian Science Monitor and Working Woman is an editor at the National Art Education Association in Virginia. She has created a series of three Snickerdoodle books and an accompanying CD. The Snickerdoodle character is based on stories told a century ago by her grandfather. The illustrations by Rissing are colorful and expressive but their simplicity detracts from the narrative in places.
Young readers will understand the importance of good deeds in earning respect as the sheriff rewards the hero with a badge (so large that he ties it to the trunk of the Peanutmobile) and the town cheers for him as he drives away “for a while.” With improved illustrations and more sophisticated rhythms the Snickerdoodle series has the potential to teach mighty lessons using a tiny hero.
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
