What My Kid is Reading- Dogopotamus

Dogopotamus: The Most Awesomest Pet Ever. Maybe.
Written by Michael Andrew Fox
Illustrated by Ed Shems (that's me!)
Age range: 7-10
Released: November 28, 2012

What's this book about?
A boy named Coby wants a pet, but he doesn't want a normal pet like a dog or a cat, he wants something bigger like a hippo but his mom says no (for obvious reasons). So Coby wonders: "What would happen if I combined a hippo with a dog?"

So I'll bet that doesn't work out too well, right?
Well, what do YOU think would happen if you mixed an energetic dog with an animal the size of a tank?!

So there must be a lot of mayhem!
This is worse than a tornado!
This is worse than an earthquake!
This is worse than dropping your iphone in the bathtub!

Is the book illustrated (as if I don't know)?
Yes, it is and it has some AMAZING illustrations! I especially love the cover because I love the Dogopotamus running around in the middle of the street while everyone is staring at him! 

Do the illustrations inside the book help tell the story?
Yeah! And they do it very well. I love how sometimes there are different textures to the artwork.

Why did you decide to read this book?
Duh. Because my dad illustrated it. And I could tell something hilarious was gonna happen. Especially from pages 28 and 29- you'll see what happens!

How many times have you read Dogopotamus?
I have no idea but it's at least eight times because I like the book AND because it was illustrated by my dad.

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who wants a pet but their parents say no. Also anyone who likes to be creative because Coby was very creative when designing Dogopotomus.

How would you rate this book?
4.3 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

What My Kid is Reading-The Terrible Two

The Terrible Two
Written by Jory John and Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Kevin Cornell
Age range: 8-12
Released: January, 2013

What's this book about?
Miles is a kid who moves to a new town and meets a boy named Niles. But they don't know that the two of them are pranksters- when they realize this, they build the ultimate prank for April Fool's Day for their school.

Is the prank really great?
Yes! By the power of the cow, they manage to pull off the perfect April Fool's prank.

Um, the power of the cow...?
Miles' principal gave him a book called 1,346 Things You May Or May Not Know About Cows and you need to read the book to figure out why cows are so important.

This sounds like a fun book. Is it really funny?
Yeah, it was full of jokes and pranks you'll never forget.

Is the book illustrated?
There were a couple of illustrations on every few pages and they really helped the story and also made me laugh.

How did they help the story?
They helped the story by showing me what the story means and by giving me more details. It also made the story more fun because the drawings were so playful.

Why did we buy this book?
Because my dad (that's me!) loved the cover of the book (and the inside art!). And the title.

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who wants inspiration for April Fool's Day pranking. Or for anyone who wants the power of the cow (just kidding).

Are you interested in reading book #2?
I already did and I thought it was even better than book #1.

Wow! We'll have to review it sometime!
Sure, why not!

How would you rate this book?
4.7 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy The Terrible Two from Amazon
More book reviews from Leo

What My Kid is Reading- Fortunately, the Milk

Fortunately, the Milk
Written by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Skottie Young
Age range: 8-12
Released: 2013



What's this book about?
It's about what really happens when your dad goes out to buy milk.

He just buys it from the store, right?
Yes. HOWEVER, fortunately the milk helps him on a journey through time and space.

So there's more than just groceries in this story?
Yup. There are also dinosaurs, "Wumpires", volcanoes, aliens and whole lot more but I don't want to ruin the story. Oh, and there is also a time machine and that's how you're able to see the previous list of characters.

I love how one of the main characters gives unusual names to things we know. Wet white hairy crunchers = coconuts. Floaty ball person carrier = hot air balloon. But a button is a button.

Is the book illustrated?
Oh, it has some of the best illustrations I've seen. I love his drawing style- all his lines are messy and he makes the weirdest looking characters possible.

Thinking about the illustrations, who's your favorite character in the book?
I really like the drawings of the Wumpires because their bodies look like rubber being stretched out.

Why did we buy this book?Because you suggested it to me.

Have you ever read anything else by Neil Gaiman?
No. Because most of his books seem to be for older people. Or not as funny.

(I think we'll have to check out some of his other titles so I can prove Leo wrong.)

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone would like this book because it has adult humor and kid humor.

Was it easy to understand the time travel aspects or would some kids find it confusing?
It was really easy to follow because they didn't talk about it as time travel- rather more as teleportation (even though it really was time travel).

How would you rate this book?
5 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

What My Kid is Reading- Secret Coders

Secret Coders
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Illustrated by Mike Holmes
Age range: 8-12 years
Released: September 29, 2015

What's the book about?
About two kids trying to figure out the secrets about their school.

What sort of secrets?
There are some odd things about the school involving numbers.

How are they trying to figure things out?Look at the cover! Duh! [said with a bit of sass)

This book is a graphic novel. Was it a good read?
Yes. I definitely liked the illustrations (especially because they used a lot of green- my favorite color).

So obviously, there's something about coding going on in this book. Can you explain?
By reading this book you'll learn a lot about binary- which is a computer language- but it's not a strictly informational book, it's a fun book during which you learn some coding.

The author, Gene Yang, signed the book for you- what did he write inside?
He wrote a code and then my name and once I was done I was able to decipher the code. It was definitely cool! He was very, very nice. I met him at M.I.C.E. (Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo) last October.

Why did you want to read this book?
Because my dad suggested it to me and it sounded very, very interesting. And I love coding (and video games).

Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who is interested in computers, coding... you can be a beginner or know a lot already and still learn something. Plus it's a fun read.

How would you rate this book?
4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

What My Kid is Reading- The 13-Story Treehouse

The 13-Story Treehouse
Written by Andy Griffiths
Illustrated by Terry Denton
Age range: 6-10 years
Released April 16, 2013

What's the book about?
It's about 2 kids who live in a really cool 13 story treehouse and they write books together.

What's cool about the treehouse?
There's a lot of stuff kids like in it. Like a marshmallow shooting machine, an underground lab, a banana sizer (it turns bananas bigger so they're better weapons), a bowling alley, swimming pool, a lemonade fountain, a shark tank (any sharks in it? Yep!)... and that's pretty much it.

Where'd they get the treehouse?
That's explained in the second book (which I've already read).

Do they have parents or families?The background info is explained in the second book. How they met, what they're doing in the treehouse...

What happens in the book?
They need to write a book for their publisher, Mr. Big Nose- whose nose is very big- but they keep getting interrupted by things like sea monkeys, watching their favorite show, a drawing competition, a gorilla who tries to get one of their giant bananas, turning cats into canaries etc.

Doesn't school interrupt them too?They don't go to school (also explained in book 2)

What's their book about?
I don't want to ruin the experience of reading this book by telling you.

Are there illustrations?
There are, like, 3 or 4 on each page!

Did you like them? Did they help the story?They really added to the story to make it funnier. I really liked the barking dog show cartoons (shows them to me- very cute!).

What did you think of the book?
It was REALLY good. I really suggest it to anyone who likes funny stuff.

So it seems you've already read book 2. Will you be reading book 3?
Duh.

How did you choose this book?
I was looking through the bookstore and my mom grabbed the book and made me check it out. I ended up really liking it.

(To Leo's mom) How did you choose this book?
I think I chose it because of the cover. Something about the colors and the lettering made me think it would be the type of thing Leo would like.

(Back to Leo) How would you rate this book?
5 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

What My Kid is Reading- Numbed! by David Lubar

Numbed!
Written by David Lubar
Age range: unknown (guess: 7-11)
Released August 1, 2014

This book is from your school's Media Center. Why did you choose the book?
It was suggested by the librarian to my class.

What made it sound appealing?
The fact that someone is suddenly unable to use math and numbers. It would be interesting to see what it's like to not be able to tell time, count, everything having to do with numbers.

Tell me more about the book
Two kids get numbers erased from their brain and they have to get them back because they are about to have a math test. If the whole class gets a good average grade they'll get an ice cream party.

What's the time span of the book?
About two days. And you get to see what it's like at home and at school.

How'd you like it?
It wasn't amazing but it was good. I thought it would be more about what it's like without math and numbers but it was more about them getting it back. The author didn't show much about the consequences of no numbers.

But there was something really good about the book- all the chapters, instead of regular numbers, they're math equations.

Was part of the purpose of the book to learn math?
Yes.

Did you learn anything new math-wise?
Yes.

Any illustrations?
No.

Was that okay?
Yup.

Did the cover make you want to read the book?
The cover was definitely odd- it stood out because it was weird.

Would you read another book by the same author?
Maybe. Depends on the book. I wasn't too much of a fan of this book.

How would you rate this book?
3 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo!

Buy this book from Amazon

More book reviews from Leo

What My Kid is Reading- Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School

Leo read the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid in record time! I asked him to review it below.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School
Written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney
Ages 8-12

Book #10 in the series
Released November 3, 2015

What was this book about?
Greg Heffley (the main character in all the books) gets into a lot of trouble as usual. Plus his mom has banned all electronics for a week after creating a petition. Also, Greg goes to summer camp. Eventually you start to feel badly for Greg because he's always either getting into trouble or trouble is getting him.

Were all the usual characters in the book?
Yep. But some weren't mentioned much. Manny was barely mentioned except for the no pants after dinner rule which was really funny.

Who was your favorite character in the book?
I'm not able to answer that question. The only point of view was from Greg.

So did you like Greg as usual?
Yeah, he was his normal frowning, slouching self.

What else happens?
They trained their pet pig to walk on his hind legs. And he wears shorts. He's nothing like Oink It's Olive (my cousin's pig). Also their grandpa moves in and takes Greg's room.

Where does Greg end up?
So Greg has to sleep next to Manny which is the worst thing for him because the bedtime stories he has to listen to are ridiculous.

Are there illustrations in the book?
Lots of them. There is at least one on each page. Sometimes more.

Do they help tell the story?
Yes. And sometimes they show Greg's thoughts which can sometimes be a little ugly.

Do you like the art style?
Yes! Everyone is in a slouched position unless they're happy (rarely) or lying down.

Would you recommend this book?Yes. It's been a very long series so you'd better catch up on the series.

Do you have to read the other books or can you jump right into book 10?
It's not mandatory to read the other books.

Who would like this book?
Anyone. Including grownups because there are adult parts too.

Will there be a book 11?
Yes! But we don't know what it will be yet. It doesn't say anything about a next book at the end but just like the book(s) before, it doesn't say anything about the next book.

How would you rate this book?
5 stars (out of 5)

Thanks Leo! Glad you enjoyed the book!

Buy the book on Amazon

More book reviews from Leo