Sunday, January 27, 2013

"The Adventures of Charlie Bubbles!" by Paul Carafotes & illustrated by Jeff Vernon

This is a book written to a son by a father about the son.  The story is about a little boy that can blow bubbles (we've all seen young babies bubble with their mouths).  Considering the child is depicted in a crib and "bubble-blowing" children are usually young babies, the story seems written to and about one somewhat older but still in the preschool stage.

Little Charlie blows bubbles and is caught up in one so large it floats him away out the window of his room and onto an adventure.  Along the way he meets several who help him face issues.

First is a nervous and frightened squirrel who hides in a pumpkin (jack o lantern) and calls himself Paulie Pumpkin.  Despite being scared, he agrees to help Charlie find his way because Charlie is lost.

Next we meet Teddy the worn out teddy bear who offers softness, comfort, and encouragement.

We also meet Honey bee and Mean bee.  Honey bee is sweet (of course) and helpful.  And Mean been is a fighter bee that bursts bubbles and defends the hive.

The adventure progresses and due to the kindness of friends Charlie finds his way back home.  The story is good for preschoolers and perhaps first graders.  It is written to be read to a child.  Format is that of a picture book, but it is a wordy story.

It is charming to think of the author as the father of Charlie telling his child this cute, teachable story and then publishing it for others to enjoy. More about the author, Paul Carafotes can be found at. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carafotes12 and Website: http://www.charliebubblesbook.com/abouttheauthor.html
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Just enter via the Rafflecopter links below.  (Please be patient as Rafflecopter is sometimes a bit slow to load.) This giveaway only open to USA addresses. Begins Jan. 27 - ENDS February 10  at 12:01 a.m. EST
a Rafflecopter giveaway
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of Charlie Bubbles from the author for the purpose of my honest review.  Giveaway copy is provided by the author and shipped directly to the winner.

14 comments:

  1. I have a friend in our roller coaster club that recently died of cancer and we went to his "celebration of life party." Each of my daughters took home one of his stuffed animals that he won or bought from an amusement park. He is featured in many documentaries on roller coasters and before we went, we watched some of those movies. The story is titled "The Boy Who Rode Rollercoasters" and all of the exciting places and rides that he went on.

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  2. No, we haven't.

    ladettek[at]gmail[dot]com

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  3. We haven't had one.

    ladettek[at]gmail[dot]com

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  4. I have not had a story that my child and I have shared at story time - both my kids and I are shy.

    griperang at embarqmail dot com

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  5. Yes, they mostly have always said 'what if's' to me about certain scenarios.

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  6. My daughter loves animals, and she has said how she'd love to have a superpower where she could fly around and help out the animals that were hungry and in danger.

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  7. Our story begins - "We are on a ship" and I am taking a _ _ _ _ . then I have to say I am on a ship and I am taking a _ _ _ _ and (whatever my child said they were taking before me). We have been doing this for 5 nights and tonight will make the 6th night so we have to remember everything from the nights before of what all we said and what we add tonight. Great memory game story.
    :)Jeanne B.T.

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  8. My grandson likes to dream up stories and draw pictures to help with the story development. No, publishing has not been considered.
    nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  9. The basic story line was a take-off on Cinderella.
    nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  10. Oh, I've seen this sweet book before. I hope the winner enjoys it! Thanks for linking in the Kid Lit Blog Hop Vera! :D

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  11. I was the winner of this wonderful children's book and my 3 year old child that enjoys reading really loved the story and has requested it again and again. This is a charming story about Charlie who can blow bubbles with his mouth and he is so good at it that he blew a bubble that was large enough to carry him away on an adventure where he meets some bees, a squirrel, and a teddy bear. I believe that the tale is appealing to my daughter because it is a story that a child might tell. The story line is not completely logical but it contains many things that you would see everyday. For example Charlie's crib mobile has bees on it but he may think that bees are mean if his parents have moved him out of the way of a bee. The worst part of this book was the last sentence which states, "This concludes the first adventure of Charlie Bubbles." Where is the second book? It is not available. I take my children to the local sort-of independent bookstore each week and let them pick something out. I had an uncomforable week where they were looking for more.

    I will also post my review on Goodreads, and amazon.com.

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