Believe it or not, we've reached the beginning of a new month and with it, another Wednesday for IWSG! This is a writer's group founded by the amazing Alex J Cavanaugh, which offers a place for authors, writers, and others to offer thoughts, concerns, support, information and more. Every first Wednesday of the month, there's a blog hop, so we can touch base with each other and say 'hi'.
Special thanks goes to this month's cohosts: Natalie Aguirre, Kim Lajevardi, Debs Carey, Gwen Gardner, Patricia Josephine, and Rebecca Douglass!
I'm going to just offer a quick wave this time, since I'm off to visit my son and daughter-in-law before he heads for another year's deployment overseas. See everyone next month!
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Today's read heads towards castles, dragons, and royalty...and happens to be from an author, whose works I've enjoyed before. I'm expecting quite a bit of fantasy with an interesting twist with a picture book atmosphere? Or something like that. Let's just dive in and find out.
PETER AND THE DRAGON FOREST
by R.A. Douthitt
Illustrated by Scott O. Douthitt and R.A. Douthitt
Middle Grade Fantasy
69 pages
ages 6 to 10
Prince Peter dreams of being a real prince, but he's never had the chance to prove himself.
He's surrounded by people who tell him what a real prince should brave, courageous, strong, and able to slay dragons.
One day, he decides to enter the dangerous Dragon Forest to slay the fiercest dragon that ever lived. That'll prove he's a real prince!
Once inside the Dragon Forest, Peter discovers that things aren't what he thought they'd be. The Dragon isn't the terrifying creature he'd been warned about, and the forest contains secrets and mysteries that he never knew existed. Instead of slaying dragons, now it's up to Peter to save the forest, his father's kingdom, and himself from the dangers of looming war. Peter learns that being a real prince involves more than slaying the dragon—it involves being kind and compassionate, too. With its vivid illustrations, Peter and the Dragon Forest is a must-read for all aspiring princes and princesses.
Join Peter as he discovers that there's more to being a real prince than meets the eye.
He's surrounded by people who tell him what a real prince should brave, courageous, strong, and able to slay dragons.
One day, he decides to enter the dangerous Dragon Forest to slay the fiercest dragon that ever lived. That'll prove he's a real prince!
Once inside the Dragon Forest, Peter discovers that things aren't what he thought they'd be. The Dragon isn't the terrifying creature he'd been warned about, and the forest contains secrets and mysteries that he never knew existed. Instead of slaying dragons, now it's up to Peter to save the forest, his father's kingdom, and himself from the dangers of looming war. Peter learns that being a real prince involves more than slaying the dragon—it involves being kind and compassionate, too. With its vivid illustrations, Peter and the Dragon Forest is a must-read for all aspiring princes and princesses.
Join Peter as he discovers that there's more to being a real prince than meets the eye.
MY TIDBITS
A prince with a good heart will have readers dreaming of their own dragon adventures.
Peter is a prince, who knows what a prince should be like but hasn't had the chance to help his father, the king, out and prove that he is prince-worthy. When problems arise, Peter decides to secretly head out and solve the problem for his father...after all, that's what a good prince should do. That means sneaking into the cursed forest, and that means that he might not ever return again. But one thing is certain, he is going to face the beast and become the prince he is meant to be.
This is a perfect book for either a story-time setting or for those individuals, who are pretty good with their words but still enjoy the full-sized illustrations on every page. The text is only a paragraph on every page, keeping it relatively light. Still, this is a full-developed plot with danger, surprises, and heart. The prince's bravery is inspiring, but it soon becomes clear that he might be in over his head. It allows readers to connect with him and cheer him on as he tries his best to do that which he knows he should. And who doesn't dream of being a hero?
The illustrations are colorful and fill the entire page, every page. This makes it more accessible to beginning readers and helps to understand the scenes. The emotions come across well enough, and it's fun to see the dragon.
There are a few unexpected twists to keep this one from growing 'too' scary, while tension stays high enough to make it interesting. The ending puts a smile on the face and adds a nice touch of dreams and adventure.
And here she is...
Former writing teacher Ruth A. Douthitt is an award-winning multi-published author who puts her heart and soul into her work, hoping to encourage others through her stories. Winner of the 2022 Christian Indie Award-First Place in YA, and the 2017 Moonbeam Children’s Books Award-Bronze Medal for Best Book Series, Ruth is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and hosts A Writer’s Day podcast.
Ruth lives in Arizona with her husband and their little dog. When she isn’t writing, Ruth loves to run, draw, paint, and garden. For more information about Ruth and her books, visit her website: http://www.artbyruth.com and find her on Facebook and Instagram
Ruth lives in Arizona with her husband and their little dog. When she isn’t writing, Ruth loves to run, draw, paint, and garden. For more information about Ruth and her books, visit her website: http://www.artbyruth.com and find her on Facebook and Instagram
7 comments:
Have a great time visiting with your son before he deploys. This sounds like a cute picture book. I wish I had someone to read it to.
Enjoy your visit!
Always like to see more books about dragons.
Have a wonderful time visiting your family! And that book sounds sweet!
Have a great time visiting with your family.
The story line for that book sounds sweet and a good life lesson.
I like that story line, that reminds that there may be other options besides violence!
Thank you for this wonderful review! Enjoy time with your family.
Hope you had a wonderful visit with your family!
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