A fun, zany adventure with several learning lessons along the way is what readers will find with Candy and the Cankersaur by Jason Sandberg.
Candy is a wealthy girl who has a father that showers her with gifts instead of spending time with her. She has a next door neighbor named Chucky who every time she gets a new gift, he gets a bigger and better version of what she has. But when Candy’s father buys her a Cankersaur, Chucky can’t seem to one up her. Instead, he decides to get even a different way with some interesting results.
I must start off by saying the humor in this story is great and the intention behind delivering a story with wonderful lessons is admirable. The artwork is superb and matches well with the zaniness of the story. The challenges with this story are related to craft.
The author seems to have bitten off a bit more than he can chew by delivering too many lessons at once: parents needing to spend quality time with their children, understanding why children sometimes mistreat each other, and how working together gets the job done. The story also occasionally drifts away from Candy’s point of view to give the reader a chance to get to know the father’s and Chucky’s internal thoughts. This isn’t something you would typically see in a children’s picture book. The lessons are also delivered in a fashion where they are told to the reader by the narrator more than delivered through the actions of the characters. These are all issues, however, that working with an experienced editor will fix.
In the end, I see a bright future for Sandberg in children’s book publishing. His artwork is amazing and his story ideas compelling. This book has also received numerous 4- and 5-star reviews, so it’s worth checking out this book and more of his work.
Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂
File Size: 8358 KB
Print Length: 34 pages
Publisher: Jason Sandberg eBooks (June 12, 2012)
Publication Date: June 12, 2012
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00K9H4O8I
The author provided me with free digital copy of this book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
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