Children's Book Review: Ten Busy Brownies by Talia Haven

Summary:

Count the brownies up to ten as they go about their night time chores.

 

Release Date: November 2013

Age Group: Children, age 0-5

Source: Review copy from publisher

Reviewed By: Kelli

 

Review:

Ten Busy Brownies is a story about hard-working brownies who come to a child's house and clean up during the night.  The rhyming text was engaging and descriptive.  The rhymes all make sense, which is not always the case for children's books.

 

I like that this book is about chores: something that's good to emphasize in children's books, the thinking being that kids need to learn to pick up after themselves.  However, in this case, the brownies are picking up after the children and doing other household tasks (which is how it happens in our house too, except my husband and I function as the brownies).  I wish the children in the story could have helped with the chores; but that would have negated the entire concept of the brownies' work.

 

At first glance, I thought the illustrations of the brownies themselves would scare Kailtyn.  They definitely don't look human, although they are intriguing.  However, she enjoyed the book.  When it was over, she said, "That book was so good!"  It wasn't a favorite of mine---simply because the text flowed in a way that would be difficult for me to memorize.  I often like to "read" bedtime books by reciting them from memory with my eyes closed, simply because by that time of night, I can't keep my eyes open any more.  But overall, Ten Busy Brownies is a simple, short story, perfect for a bedtime read.