I was afraid of the dark when I was a little kid. In this cute and funny book Harry takes on his fears in a couple of inspiring and cute ways.

I would’ve loved this book when I was a child and I believe it can be good for children to find different ways of thinking of their fears.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy!

Harry Rides the Danger was written by Lancelot Schaubert and Illustrated by Tony Otero. The publisher’s website says of the book: Harry woke at night: in his doorway stood THE DANGER. Harry learns first to face and follow Danger, then to court Danger. Harry takes the Danger out for chocolate cake, for jumping over mountains, for leaping over pits of snakes. Then he wields Danger to save lives, homes, and worlds from a world-ending fire. A children’s book written in the wake of the historic Joplin tornado, HARRY RIDES THE DANGER teaches the abstract concept of courage in a fun way. It will quickly become an early reader classic.

It might seem misplaced or ill-advised to put too much thought into reviewing a children’s book. However, I would say what makes for a good children’s book that will stand the test of time, besides the use of commonplace children’s literary devices such as rhythm, alliteration, and repetition (which this book does utilize reasonably well), is that it can stand as a story, no matter how abstract and minute a story it may be trying to tell and that it can keep a child’s attention while it tells its story. Unfortunately, in the case of my youngest child (who is admittedly maybe too young for this book at 16 months), it did not keep her engaged, and my oldest child (she’s 11) was left with a lot of questions, like what was the story was actually trying to say.

I know the story is meant to teach children about bravery, but as it stands, I feel like the message is a bit murky and could be misconstrued as insinuating that to be brave, you have to “court” danger, and I’m not sure that is a great message to relay to children.

I appreciate that the story is dedicated to the surviving children of the Joplin Tornados, especially since the devastating disaster is close to where I grew up. I was visiting family during the Tornadoes, so I feel like I have some connection to the event, if even slight, But it did have me wondering, ‘what about the non-surviving children of the tornados? Perhaps a blanket dedication to the children of the Joplin tornados would have been better phrasing for the dedication because, as it reads now, it seems to leave out those lost in the tornado intentionally.

The book is categorized by the publisher as Juvenile Fiction and an early reading graphic novel, which had me scratching my head. Harry Rides the Danger’s writing was disconnected from the artwork. The prose felt like it was written for a very young audience, whereas the art felt it would be better suited for a book for middle school readers.

Where this book shines is in the art. Tony Otero’s nightmarishly beautiful crude drawings feel like they were plucked straight out of a horror movie–you know, the ones where the kid scribbles the monster he has seen in the closet? Well, these splendid images will stick with me for a while, but it also left me wondering, what audience is this for? Because I fear they may be too jarring to young viewers. But that may just be me being too prudish.

Thank you to Netgalley for this early copy of Harry Rides the Danger.

Harry Rides the Danger was a fun, red and black illustrated book. I didn't quite understand it, nor the author's note at the end. I did like the rhyming in the writing, and Harry facing his fears.

I got this as a digital copy from NetGalley. Interesting book, solid art, poetic delivery of a cool message, but I think a bit scary for the target demographic.

A very beautifully illustrated and strange tale abut a boy learning to surmount his fear and ride along with the fear to new and bizarre locations.

I thought this was an interesting children’s book. I read it as a story which sees a child confronting childhood fear and rising above it. The artwork is very clear and hard hitting. I think this is the kind of story that needs to be read with children and discussed with them.

The artwork does make the story scary though. I enjoyed it but I left childhood behind long ago!

Copy provided by publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Slightly creepy and quite poetic for a children’s book. And even though I’m not sure i’d rec this to younger kids, I personally enjoyed it. But I do love all things creepy….
Big thanks to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I got this as a digital copy from NetGalley. I think this is cute! Some might say the illustrations can be too scary for children but if your kid has watched anything remotely spooky - like Scooby Doo - it should be fine. I would get a physical copy for my daughter. It seems like it would be fun for her to read aloud (she is too young to read, currently).

"Harry Rides the Danger" by Lancelot Schaubert is an action-packed adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! The protagonist, Harry, is a charismatic and brave hero, and the supporting cast of characters are just as engaging. The plot is filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The descriptions of the action scenes are so vivid that I felt like I was right there in the middle of the adventure. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves action and adventure stories, and anyone who is a fan of Indiana Jones-style adventures.

I like the concept. However I’m confused as to who the target audience is. The writing is too simplistic for anything other than lower elementary but the underlying theme is too buried for that age group to grasp. The illustrations are beyond that age group too. Even with the revelations about the danger at the end, the beginning is too intense visually for lower elementary. I would pick a different book to teach about courage.

The message in this book is a good one - be imaginative, find the good among the bad, and to help others. All very important things to learn as a child. However, the graphic nature of this book was shocking. I am not sure that kids won't be afraid to read this book... the images of the dog (especially the inside of his mouth) are pretty scary for a kid.

The fact that a children's book would be categorized as horror is disturbing to me. Parents likely would be turned off by that.

The writing was a bit jumpy as well. I am not sure what the point of the chocolate cake was - other than to try to balance the scary parts... but it felt very out of place. (Also, kids should not feed chocolate cake to dogs, its poisonous... )

A great read by this author. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Harry Rides the Danger was a good book. I liked some of the illustrations and the fact that the book does not tell you what the Danger is and it keeps you guessing. .... I really think children would love this.
What makes Harry Rides the Danger different from other books is that it keeps you thinking, and makes you question what the Danger is and why he chose to get out of his bed to go after it. This is where the adventure of finding courage begins.

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