Review: Let's Go to Volcano Valley

Reader’s Digest flap books are the books that people like me hand to people like you when we want you to understand that kids books are much more than nursery rhymes and counting games — that they are a medium, a specific means of storytelling with its own full language, idioms and conventions. So it was with great relish that I opened their latest flap book which dipped its figurative toe into the waters of one of my favorite childhood worlds, that of the late Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train.

I created my own version.

Let me just pause for a moment to recognize the brilliant juxtaposition of dinosaurs on trains. They're dinosaurs and they're on a train. Anyone who does not understand the sheer inventive, dexterous efficacy of Henson's creation might have a difficult time connecting with children (perhaps due to a fractious nature). And moving on.

Now let me be honest right up front. I was disappointed. It wasn’t that the artwork is lacking. To the contrary, Illustrator LeeAnn DiCicco’s drawings are wonderfully colorful and bright. The flaps are designed with an attention to detail and in such unorthodox shapes that the visual result is exciting, engaging and just plain fun. The problem with Let's Go to Volcano Valley lies not in its artwork, but in the content of its text.

What I like about flap books is that they are engaging on multiple levels. The artwork captures young readers and the text teaches new skills and imparts new knowledge through tightly scripted details doled out page by page and flap by flap. This is exactly what is missing in Let's Go to Volcano Valley.

The Pteranodon family is the main cast of both the show and this book, but we never find out anyone’s name but Buddy, leaving 5/6 of the family nameless. This makes it really hard to talk about the characters with my parents as we read the book. I have to just point to whom I want instead of developing my vocabulary skills. We also don’t get labels for the multitude of dinosaur types that make their appearance. How hard would it have been to include names for each of the dinosaur types? I imagine it's not too hard, as Reader’s Digest uses this technique in almost every other flap book they produce.


Overall I give Let's Go To Volcano Valley 3 licks of the Ice Cream Cone (I'd check it out from the library if it's available).

Challenge Accepted!

So I haven't been around that long, but there's one thing I've learned: the phrase "Challenge Accepted" should be an important part of one's vocabulary. Without it we would still be living in caves, huddled against each other for warmth as we hurtle through life on the flat disc of earth. With it we've scaled the heights of invention, surpassed the natural limitations of our bodies and overcome the constraints of our minds.

It's really pretty awesome.

It is in that spirit that I fully embrace the gauntlet recently thrown at my feet by my uncle Tyler. Specifically, that (despite the fact that I can neither read or write, much less that I haven't really mastered spoken language) review a book I received for Christmas.

I suppose I can sum up my thoughts on the matter with this:

Review forthcoming.