Merren and the Heron

Merren and the Heron, by Tony Dow is an adorable story about a class of children visiting the zoo. Their teacher instructs them to take a picture with an animal that rhymes with their name. As the children wander around the zoo, they struggle to get their pictures. Then, an even worse problem arises, they can’t find their classmate Merren! As the kids continue to search for Merren, they still haven’t gotten their pictures and now there’s too much to worry about! Tony Dow’s story is filled with lovable characters and exciting rhymes. It engages young readers, allowing them to learn rhyming structure, while solving a fun mystery. The drawings on every page have colors that pop, making it even more appealing. Overall, Dow provides a story that children can read many times without getting bored. I am giving Merren and the Herren, by Tony Down 5 out of 5 stars. Its mystery filled storyline and use of engaging literary techniques makes the story stand out from most children’s books. Its colorful drawings bring the characters to life and makes the audience even more absorbed with the story. Merren and the Heron is one of the most unique children’s stories I have read this month.

Soooo Many Language Errors! I read and review a fair amount of children's books. I tend to be a stickler about language in books in general, but especially in children's books, as I believe children are sponges who learn from everywhere... even picture books. Unfortunately, this book was full of language problems. I noted four punctuation errors in the first run-on sentence! Things improved little as the book continued. Given how lines broke in this attempt at poetry, semicolons were inappropriately used when periods should have been. The author tried to write this in rhyming couplets, though several were not perfect (e.g., groups and Luke’s). In the story itself, the children go on a field trip to the zoo, trying to find animals that rhyme with their names. Even in this, the author employed imperfect rhymes. For instance, both Peter and Anita are searching for a cheetah. In my ear, Peter does not rhyme with cheetah. Perhaps the author could have had an anteater at the zoo! The illustrations are actually relatively well done. If only they’d paid as much attention to the text! I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.