Review: The Trotters of Tweeville: Zavis DaMavis by Shirin Zarqa-Lederman, MS, MA

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Zavis DaMavis is a happy young boy and a proud resident of a whimsical town called Tweeville. He’s off to school one morning when his mom—a very wise woman—gives him an important reminder. But what does it mean to treat others the way you’d like to be treated?
While Zavis ponders his mother’s advice as he walks to school, he’s distracted by an elderly man who needs a hand getting across the street. When he’s done helping, he finds that he’s forgotten what she said. Zavis must remember his mother’s words if he’s ever going to understand what they mean. But how can he think when he’s so busy being kind to his friends?
Teaching our children the golden rule is one of the most important and effective ways to empower kids to make kind, helpful decisions. In the spirit of Dr. Seuss, author certified counselor Shirin Zarqa-Lederman uses brightly colored images and simple, silly prose to challenge young readers while engaging them on the topic of morality. Inspire your children to treat others as they’d like to be treated with this fun, easy-to-read installment of The Trotters of Tweeville.
- See more at:http://bookstore.archwaypublishing.com/Products/SKU-000932188/The-Trotters-of-Tweeville.aspx#sthash.9jz9EIBX.dpuf

MY TAKE:
I found the premise of this book to be cute so I thought I would give this one a try.

In The Trotters of Tweeville: Zavis DaMavis, Zavis is a young boy whose mother has told him to treat others the way he would like to be treated. While trying hard to remember his mother's words, he goes about his day and, without really thinking about it, does exactly as his mother wished he would do.

I thought the story itself was a good one, and lots of children can benefit from reading this. The rhyming sentences were also a nice touch because they were able to tell a complete story in a catchy way.

However, I did spot a few punctuation errors. They were minor, but I think another round of editing couldn't hurt. The illustration style and layout wasn't for me, either. I'm not a fan of most serif fonts, and I found the illustrations to be too small. The illustration style, on the other hand, reminded me of older computer graphics, with sharper edges than most current graphics. With some editing (punctuation and layout), I think this book could appeal to even more kids.

Thanks to NetGalley and Archway Publishing for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It has a positive message.
2. It is prose but there are rhymes within it as well.
3. Kids will be able to relate to Zavis.

THE BAD:

1. The illustrations and layout won't appeal to everyone. 

READ IT IF:

1. You want to teach your child the golden rule.
2. You like books with positive messages.
3. You are looking for a book that is fun to read aloud. 

RATING:


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