Night Buddies, Impostors and One Far-Out Flying
Machine, by Sands Hetherington and
illustrated by Jessica Love, is the second in the “Night Buddies” series. The book’s main characters, Crosley, a bright
red crocodile, and John, a boy who has trouble sleeping, have adventures,
called Programs, at night with Night Buddies Amalgamated and other night-time
characters. There are all night
drugstores, all night emporiums, a zoo, and other all night enterprises and
activities. It has a time spreader, a dingus, talking animals, magical
contraptions, doodads, I-D gimcrack cards, whatchamacallits, talk
tokens -- not to mention racing blimps.
Plus you’ll enjoy the special language and dialect conventions: Yerk! Yerk! Ut! Ut! Yigg! Snerk!
Snerf! Jeeks! Uk! Gruk! Wush! Gak!
The stories seem
nonsensical, but they actually make perfect sense, especially to kids with
imaginations. You know how creative kids
can be when they want to or don’t want to do something. If they don’t want to go to bed, then tell
them a story about the awesome adventures they’ll have once they’re in
bed.
Perhaps they’ll be visited
by a bright red crocodile with a passion for Pineapple Cheesecake or Crusted
Crème Fro-Madge frozen yogurt. Crosley might
take you on an adventure like he takes John.
Maybe you’ll travel all over the city,
meeting the night folks, solving mysteries, fighting crime, having fun
adventures with magical doodads and such. Jessica Love’s whimsical and fun black and gray on white
illustrations are appropriate to this night time series -- though your
imagination readily brings the characters and adventures to life.
Parents and teachers will
enjoy the word choices and expressions, such as antidotes, caterwaul, excelsior,
farcical, guts and glory, marauders, purloined, and also alliterations
like: real red rump, holy hamhocks,
brown blimp, black bottom, and so on.
This is one fun book to read out loud with children. They will enjoy listening to it and probably
will want to read it to you, too. Sands
Hetherington is already working on the third Night Buddies story and enjoys
reading them to his grand children. The
Night Buddies series is published by www.dunebuggypress.com
and available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.powells.com.
My review copy was provided by Virginia Grenier of World of Ink Tours.
.
It sounds like a book kids will love.
ReplyDeleteHi Jan, thanks for your comment. Yes, I think this is the fun type of adventure books that kids enjoy.
DeletePenelope:
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this book before. Thank you for sharing it. It sounds really fun and love the vocab words!
Thanks for your comments, Margo. I've just read the second one, but am pretty sure the first one is fun, too. There are a lot more good vocab words. And I forgot to mention that to crocodiles, "ain't" is a four letter word, a No-No!
DeleteThis series sounds quite intriguing Penny. It sounds like it has an abundance of imagination that will draw children to use their own creativity. I wish the author and illustrator much success.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, I appreciate your comments. I think this is a good series for kids to enjoy and wish them much success, too.
DeleteYou nailed it, Penny. I have read and reviewed this book, and it is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barbara, Yes, although long, it's mostly conversation. The fast pace and fun adventures really carry you right along to the end -- but not the end. Woo hoo! Wishing Sands and Jessica success.
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