Member Reviews
This was just joyful to read. It was full of rhyme and rhythm and great words to read out loud to my little one. The images are bold and full of colour and spunk with the mice jockeys shown with shoulders back and commanding the scenes. The vocabulary is quite advanced and this is a book that we read together rather than one necessarily that a child would go straight to on their own. It was fun to learn about a murder of crows and a cacophony of sound, learning a good vocabulary in a playful book. These words come alongside the use of goodies and baddies and made for a good mixture of levels of learning. There is obviously the happy ending with cheers and fists held to the sky which wasn’t too soppy after all teh action,
Such a cute story! I loved the characters and I thought the plot was age appropriate. I would read it again.
After reading this book, I. Am. So. Bored!!! There was probably a really great idea here, but it was executed quite poorly. To condense my critiques for this book, I am going to write them as a list:
1. Length. This book was way too long, especially for a kids' book. I lost interest 1/3 of the way through, and I know that kids will lose interest quickly as well, probably sooner than I did. It's important to maintain a reader's interest for the entire book, or else it will change their opinions on the book in its entirety.
2. Plot. In connection to my first point, the plot was just too stretched out. There was a lot of buildup to the race and the eventual conclusion, and it too away from the excitement of the book. You don't need to elongate things so much to add suspense/excitement to your book. Sometimes less truly is more.
3. Writing. For a kids' book, the writing was entirely too advanced. I'd say that young readers will not know/understand *at least* 75% of the words in this book, and this will make them confused, which will prevent them from enjoying the actual story. While I personally liked the wide range of words used in this book, it just became too much. Authors should keep their audience in mind, especially with things such as this.
All that being said, there were still two things that I enjoyed about this book. I really liked the amount of detail, softness, and glamour included in all of the drawings. It helped to add life and magic to the story, which is always great. The last thing I liked was the story idea. The story is royal and fancy, which will appeal to many young readers. Even further, the story idea was fun and wonderful. However, the way this book was written and organized didn't do this great idea any favors.
Racing for Pintorella is a cute children’s story that reimagines Siena's famous horse race with mouse jockeys riding squirrels in a magical, high-stakes competition. The playful verse and whimsical illustrations had me smiling from start to finish. I loved how the story combined excitement, humor, and an unexpected hero to deliver a tale that’s both enchanting and heartwarming. This book is perfect for kids and adults who enjoy a bit of adventure with a dash of magic.
OMG, mice racing squirrels to win over a princess? Racing for Pintorella is absolutely bonkers in the best way! The rhymes are so fun, the illustrations are dreamy, and the whole story feels like stepping into a fairytale carnival. My favorite part? The surprise hero who swoops in to save the day. Seriously, this is a total must-read for kids—and for grown-ups who still believe in a little magic. 🐿️🏁👑