In this series of articles, I will give brief reviews of various children's books my son picked out at the library.  Yes, I actually read them; well, except for the ones that get on my nerves due to lack of real value.  All of the books, at the point, are graphic novels (comics), but they comprise a range of types, from little kids books, to fables, to folklore, to educational, to biographical, and more, covering many genres (although he's not ready for horror, yet).

I hope you'll find these reviews helpful in choosing books for your children. Remember, read a story each night when your child is young to foster a love of reading. Don’t let them watch TV or play video games in their bedroom as too much screen time (more than about 1-2 hours a day) has been scientifically proven to be bad for the brain development of any person who is not finished growing (i.e. around the age of 25 – think wisdom teeth). 

### Cucumber Quest 1: The Doughnut Kingdom ###
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.slidesharecdn.com%2Fss_thumbnails%2Freadcucumberquestthe-171127185946-thumbnail-4.jpg%3Fcb%3D1511809206&f=1&nofb=1
An adventure by Gigi D.G.
<b>My son's score: 8🌠</b>
<b>My score: 8🌠</b> (maybe more if I read the other 2 books)
<b>What's taught: </b> Bravery, loyalty, kindness, forgiveness, creative problem-solving, consequences of actions, etc.
<b>Synopsis:</b> The art is enjoyable but somewhat simplistic yet quite colorful. It chronicles the adventures of Cucumber, a boy-rabbit who has just been accepted to magic school but must abandon that because his father and mother send him on a quest to save the kingdom from the megalomaniac witch Cordelia, and his little sister, Almond, who has trained to become a hero comes to his rescue. "Cuco," as his sister calls him, is extremely reluctant to be a part of the adventure, but events lead him ever onward. Cordelia has taken over the kingdom and has assembled all but the last artifact necessary to unleash the very evil Nightmare Knight.  All the adults in the story seem flighty and unreliable, with their father being one very self-centered and manipulative individual. Indeed, it almost seems as if the adults are actively working to make things difficult for the two adventurers. The kids are faced with multiple challenges and meet many people, managing to figure out good solutions to each situation and moving forward in their quest to stop Cordelia. Each time, however, when they have the chance to stop Cordelia from freeing the Knight, something happens to prevent that, with Almond herself aiding Cordelia's main henchwoman, Peridot, by giving her the last remaining artifact. Why? Because she doesn't want the adventure to end and wants to be a legendary hero, just like their ancestor was. The story ends on a sour note, after they get on a boat with their companion, Knight Carrot, made by a young inventor with a lack of scruples (he doesn't tell them that they're guinea pigs until it's too late) with Almond being captured and knocked unconscious as they approach their next destination, the Ripple Kingdom. The end of the book tells you a little bit about each kingdom and its denizens, as well as holding little Q&As of various characters, and "playing cards" of the more important ones. It's an enjoyable romp.
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