Devon: The Wild Adventures of Devon and Friends

by Elena N. Marcus

Reviewer's ChoiceMidwest Book Review, Children's Bookwatch, June 2015“A deftly crafted and original story, ' TheWild Adventures of Devon and Friends' is very highly recommended for both school and community library collections."Devon, the Wild Adventures of Devon and Friends is an illustrated storybook in verses with 30 illustrations for young readers ages 4 to 11. It is one long adventure story told in 70 pages of catchy rhymes. Little boy Devon visits the Zoo with his friends Qi, the wise panda bear, and his hungry, not-so-wise mutt, Picco. The Panda and Picco get in trouble and Devon enlists a stray dog, Hot Trot, and his army of strays to save them. Violence doesn't pay, and the strays are locked up as 'mean' dogs. New friends, a first-grade girl and her classmates, help Devon liberate all his furry friends from their scary plight, using their smarts and artistic talents. The book's format is amenable to staging and character reading and offers the opportunity of an interactive entertaining and educational experience. The book may be used by non-native English speakers, children and adults, to study English, on account of its rhyming recall qualities. The book extols values such as friendship, learning, peaceful solutions, at the expense of violence and vanity.

73 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2012

Reviews

[Michael Zehabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two kinds of children stories: those that rhyme, and those that don’t. Kids prefer rhyme. I know. I’ve tried both.

Devon is 69 pages of heartfelt adventure--in rhyme. It pushes the boundaries of reality with fun and verse.

Don’t waste another night without love and imagination. Devon: The Wild Adventures of Devon and Friends is a beautifully crafted story with a little boy and his schoolgirl friend who manage to outsmart the big guys.

The best review for this kind of book is the let the book speak for itself.

The Lion:
“The whachamacallit, this time is through,
With rollover tricks, and tail chewing too;
I want your buddy on my plate tonight,
Without a whine, a growl, or a fight!”

Junior Lion:
“But daddy, Picco is not comestible at all--
Just last night he swallowed a ball…
You’d be the laughing stock in the hood,
If they knew you mixed plastic with food!”

The Lioness:
“Junior is right…plastic and food don’t go together
You may grow a pig nose, funny ears, or a feather.”

Thank you Elena N. Marcus for making it so easy.