Review Detail

Kids Fiction 596
Make Your Own Luck
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
There's excitement on the farm when Bo's humans, including young Imani and Wyatt, pain the chicken coop. It needs freshening up, and red paint with crisp white trim will make it look much better. However, Bo sees a squirrel, gives chase, and ends up knocking over and then treading through the white paint. When the squirrel hops on top of the coop, Bo covers the side with his white paw prints. He feels awful, and his luck seems to get worse. He gets a bath, but gets stung on the nose by a bee and caught in the rain, then spends the night hiding under the couch because of the thunderstorm. His friends and humans worry about him, and his friend Scrapper visits to try to raise his spirits. They brainstorm (or "barnstorm"!) ideas that will help Bo get his luck back, and decide that a four leaf clover might help. Complications ensue as they look for one, and Bo begins to realize that his real luck lies with his supportive friends.
Good Points
Ariel Landy's black and white page illustrations are absolutely delightful, and it doesn't hurt that Bo looks a lot like my dog Pongo! The facial expresssions of all the animals are adorable, and also serve the purpose of helping emerging readers figure out what is going on in the text. The books in this series are the perfect length to read aloud over several nights, or for young readers to tackle on their own.

I'm always a fan of a gentle message in children's books, but hate to see anything particularly pedantic. Higgins does a great job of delivering a subtle message about making your own luck by putting it into a funny and engaging story. Similar reads would include Winston's Wednesday and Woof, Dillard's Mouse Scouts, and Ahn's Pug Pals. Be prepared to find all of the books in the series, because Bo and his antics are highly addictive!
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