I purchased copies of Awesome! by Craig Shuttlewood for my teachers to utilize in their classroom libraries and as read alouds. The illustrations were not my favorite, but seemed fitting for the book. Students love the premise of the book with the theme of friendship being an overarching topic. My counselors use Awesome! during small group lessons as well.

Boy, this book doesn't soften the beaver's behavior at all. Sure, his initial bad behavior is an accident but after that we're told he's literally going around thinking "they'll have to notice me now." THis is perhaps an oversimplification of what causes children to misbehave, but oversimplification isn't unusual.

Oh heavens, I loved this book. It was filled with humor and laughs while still instilling a few values along the way. When Marvin and Woody are together they have fun and help others. Marvin quickly becomes the star of the duo and there are some awesome feelings and some not so awesome feelings. Woody starts trying to be more awesome and causes some trouble, but in the end, they get back together and work it all out.
My husband loved this book as did my two young children. I immediately ordered a copy for home and school!

Solid story of friendship and feeling left out. An honest portrayal of what can happen when people feel overlooked. Could open discussion with kids about this behavior and encourage them to talk about alternative behaviors and solutions.

Awesome is a picturebook by Craig Shuttlewood which is currently scheduled for release on August 1 2018. Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver are best friends. But their friendship is tested when Marvin does something totally AWESOME and Woody remains ordinary. The other forest animals now adore Marvin, calling in his new superhero services to help right wrongs, solve problems, and fix trouble. They even build a statue in his honor! Woody watches with envy, and often helping his friend, but hatching a not-so-awesome plan to put all eyes on him. Can Woody and Marvin save their friendship?

Awesome is a lively picturebook about jealousy, friendship, and forgiveness. I love the illustrations, they are bright and bold- adding a great deal to the story. Woody is feeling left behind and forgotten, and his plans to be noticed go in the opposite direction than he might have hoped. While he might not have done the right things to get attention, when Marvin sat down and talked to him about it I like tat he explained how he was feeling, and apologized for the trouble his actions caused. I think this is a relatable story,. and one that shows how much trouble could be avoided by talking about our feelings, and that owning our mistakes is the right thing to do. The story is heartfelt and a pleasure visually and as a whole.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Marvin and Woody are best friends. One day Marvin rescues another forest animal and becomes an instant hero. Woody over time feels neglected by Marvin and starts acting out. Will these two remain friends? Can they work through this phase?

This book was just so-so for me. I enjoyed the morale of the story and the plotline. The overall message is important and kids should learn that lesson. So, if that's what you're looking for, this is an excellent book. What makes me deduct stars are the illustrations. I just didn't connect with the style. When I think of forests and forest creatures, I want to see bold and strong lines representing mighty trees and whimsical themes representing the animals. This had neither really. The style was fairly cartoonish but the illustrator did not fully commit to this either despite the fact that Marvin takes on a superhero character (Awesome!) and a cartoon/graphic novel style could've been fitting.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. It's about two friends that live in the forest. When one becomes too important the other feels left out. The story was cute and well told in a fun way. The illustrations were bright and fun. This is a great book.

Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver are best friends. One day, Marvin awesomely saves another forest animal from danger and quickly becomes a local hero. His friend Woody even makes him a cape and a mask and Marvin continues to do good deeds. But as Marvin’s fame spreads, Woody feels left out and starts getting his own attention but in a negative way. Everything comes to a head, and even though Woody causes a potentially large problem, he also helps Marvin save the day in the end.

My preschooler loves this book! We’ve read it at least 40 times in the past month! He loves that there is a superhero with a cape, he loves the animals and illustrations, he loves the word awesome, he loves that there is a statue, and he loves that even though Woody makes bad choices, Woody decides to make a better choice in the end and can be awesome too. Awesome! is a hit with my 3-year old!

I like that there is a few lessons being taught in this book. Unfortunately, it was just okay. Fun concept just lacking.

A fun and visually-delightful story about a beaver who becomes jealous of his friend's popularity as a local hero. It's an obvious plot, but well-executed nonetheless, and carries an important lesson to children to talk to their friends if they become jealous of another's success.

The illustrative style is fun and matches the feel of the story well, and I'd happily pick this up to read to my children.

Marvin the Moose and Woody the Beaver are best friends. One day, Marvin saves one of the other woodland creatures, and soon his good deed is known across the forest. Marvin decides to be an "awesome for hire," and idea that Woody initially is on board with, helping Marvin sew a cape. But soon, Marvin's fame is too much for Woody to handle, and he begins causing mischief. This is a cute book about friendship and working together. The illustrations are cute, and the story is simple enough for beginning readers. One point of concern for me was the statue at the end looked an awful lot like a totem pole, which makes me uncomfortable since this story does not touch on Native American culture in any other way. I'm not sure it was intentional or just a coincidence, but that is my one hesitation in recommending an otherwise cute story.

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a hit with me and my daughter (who is even a couple years younger than the suggested age group for this book).

First off, any book about animals is usually pretty good at keeping a child's interest (at least my child), and I thought the author did an excellent job at exploring the friendship of Marvin and Woody. Haven't we all felt like Woody at one point? I think a lot of kids will be able to relate to this book, and I also liked the message that everyone has a purpose.

The icing on the cake of this book is the beautfiul illustrations. They are vibrant yet simple, and my daughter engaged with them.

I would love to read more books like this one! Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Marvin and Woody are best friends forever. When Marvin saves the day and becomes a local hero, Woody begins to feel pushed out by Marvin's celebrity. Woody's attempt to get Marvin's attention and a little spotlight for himself goes awry. Will they be able to save the day and their friendship together?

This title has cute illustrations and a child-friendly focus on friendship.

Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver are best friends, but their friendship is put to the test when all of a sudden Marvin becomes popular after saving a forest critter. Woody is excited at first and wants to help Marvin become even more popular by assisting with signs and even sewing a cape for him. Once the news gets out, Marvin quickly becomes the most awesome forest celebrity. As time goes on, Woody can't take it anymore and feels neglected and even jealous now that Marvin is too busy being popular. He misses his friend dearly and he'll do anything he can to gain some attention so he can be awesome just like Marvin.

We really loved the illustrations which reminded us of one of the kids' favorite cartoons, 'Adventure Time'. The story is funny, emotional, and thought-provoking for readers. Children will learn about forgiveness, compassion, and what it means to be a friend. We enjoyed the ending, but it did feel a little rushed. Overall, we enjoyed it.

4****

This is a cute book about friendship, jealousy, and how to balance both so that no one feels left out. I find it a bit reductive. It was all too easy to wrap up in the end.

This book was pretty cute and very enjoyable according to my 5-year old. We both really enjoyed the illustrations.

A brilliant new children’s book full of colour and humour

This was a fun little tale about helping others and teamwork. The illustrations were as fun as the text sure to keep kids in the age range engaged and amused.

Marvin and Woody are best friends. When Marvin becomes a hero, he becomes very busy with his new friends and his acts of saving things. Woody feels left out and just a bit jealous. He can do great things too. Unfortunately, when we feel bad, we sometimes do bad things such as wrecking a statue or teasing others. Woody learns his lesson when once again, Marvin steps in to help. Woody also shows the forest neighbours that he can help too. This book is about friendship, jealousy and understanding. The illustrations are vibrant, colorful pictures that are simple and cute for young children. Its storyline is simple enough for children to follow, and its point is easily made in this short story.

Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver live together in the forest and are the best of friends. They do everything together and are inseparable. One day Marvin does something so AWESOME that the whole forest takes note and deems him their superhero.

Marvin morphs into this magnanimous champion and offers services to the forest creatures such as righting wrongs, helping them solve problems and fixing any trouble that may come their way. They are so impressed with him that they carve a statue of him to salute his awesomeness.

Woody at first helps his friend out but as time goes by and Marvin takes more and more time away from their friendship to be awesome for others, Woody gets envious and jealous. He too would like to be extraordinary just like Marvin, not plain and overlooked like he is now.

Woody tries to shine the spotlight on himself but alas his efforts fail and does the complete opposite... the light around him goes dark and the forest creatures are not impressed by him at all. Poor Woody. Can these two friends ever become BFFs again? Is it even possible?

The message of the book is filled with inspiration and hope. It concludes that we all have a propensity for greatness tucked deep inside of us. As we journey through life we can discover that gift and when we it is unleashed we can become superheroes to those we encounter along the way too. "Awesome!" is a lovely segue to lots of discussion about morals, feelings of jealously, pride, and what being a superhero really entails. I certainly would recommend it.