Book Review: Hellie The Hovercraft Elephant by Carrie Mortleman

About the book:

Title: Hellie The Hovercraft Elephant

Published by: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published on: 15th April 2016

Pages: 38

Genre: Children's Book

Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
"I'm Hellie the Hovercraft Elephant and I'm ever so tall, I'm Hellie the Hovercraft Elephant and I never fall. I have fur that is fairy floss pink, and it's wonderfully fluffy and light. For although I am an elephant, I'm an elephant in flight!" Hellie the elephant has a very special skill - she can fly! But when she meets Queek the mouse, she learns that the power of friendship is the strongest superpower of all. Children will love flying with Hellie on this magical journey that blasts through fear and zooms into fun and friendship.

About the author

Ever since I started communicating with Carrie, she has been absolutely adorable and patient. Her chirpiness and gusto for life needs no explanation once you read her goodreads bio:
I am Carrie Mortleman and I know I can fly - I just haven't figured out how to do it while I am awake... yet.
As a published children’s book author & illustrator I have the most wonderful job of writing and illustrating rhyming children's stories. I adore the cadence and meter of a well written rhyming children's books and I grew up on Dr Seuss & Roald Dahl.
My current children's books feature the unlikely friendship of a candy floss elephant named Hellie (who can fly) and a sugar mouse named Queek (whose magic power is his fascinating mind and wonderful ideas for zany adventures with his best friend Hellie). My illustrations are composed of yummy foods that I make with the overenthusiastic help of my young daughters including jelly aliens, toffee space houses and a chocolate painted planet Mars. My books are delicious!
I am a proud Australian who is lucky to have lived in England, France & Spain. My 2 English daughters, my adorable fuzzy labradoodle and my mad Brazilian husband fill the house with music, raw passion and abstract creativity.
My home is now a sleepy little seaside town called Calafell which is South of Barcelona in Spain and I love soaking up the art and inspiration this country thrives on. 

Social media:

      

My Review:

Carrie calls her books 'edible literature' because all the creatures and characters are appetizing. There's not an iota of doubt that the characters she has woven and mothered are adorable.
What do you look for in a children's book? It should first and foremost have the ability to glue your kid to it, second, it should leave scope for less interpretation considering as kids can hardly dig deep to that, and finally, to put across a point by the end of the book that passes the litmus test on the moral barometer.
This book contains all these three qualities, the first one being fulfilled partially by the impeccable and consistent rhyming scheme produced.

A slight quirk of the book which might raise some eyebrows is the fact that the illustrations aren't pure in that they are animated illustrations put across on backdrops of actual, real photographs.

So, you can't eat the book. Or, can you?
On the imagination scale, this book scores high too! All in all, it is a definite recommendation from my side to all you parents of little ones out there.

A side note: I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. I usually assess a book apart from the writer, but make an exception when it comes to this particular genre of children's books. It makes sense to see the writer and the words as a single entity. Carrie is a very warm person and the warmth and positivity rubs off in her work too!

Links to the book: Amazon | Goodreads |

Source of the review copy: Author

To get your book reviewed, read my review policy here. And then contact me here.

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A New Bookstore In (Virtual) Town: BOOKLE

Bookle.in/ is India's first online bookstore for kids. And who am I kidding, I read children's books even now, so nothing really comes as a surprise.


My experience with Bookle:
The search was pretty easy.

There was a filter for price.

Shipping is free only for order above Rs 500, which is not a bad deal, considering that I would definitely buy a bunch of books and not just one.

The collection is adorable.

They let you sell books you bought from Bookle only, at 50% of the price.

Here's the bunch I ordered, and that arrived promptly, and for 500, it wasn't a bad deal at all.
I had never read GooseBumps ever, so I ordered those, along with a copy of High School Musical.

I received the delivery in a fine state, and the quality is not bad at all. Traversing the portal wasn't difficult at all.

Here's what my purchase looked like!

The only surprise element that could also be a downside is the fact that you can never guess the actual condition of the books that you're going to receive. I received some of them in a really decent condition, but all of them reeked of a used-rugged smell and sight. They looked like they came from a library clearance. I think what could help in this case is posting pictures of the actual products. Which also brings me to another glitch, that the pictures are pixelated. Had the pictures been clearer, I could have made wiser decisions.

The prices, for this condition, do seem higher, especially when we can get these books at this quality at Sunday markets, among other cheap deals.

But children's books are a tricky affair and this website will definitely untie some knots of the trick here.

To get your book reviewed, read my review policy here. And then contact me here.

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