Review by Booklist Review
Meet Boris, an anthropomorphized warthog who dreams of adventure. He longs to travel and perform acts of derring-do, just like Captain Clive, the hero of his favorite book. He lives in a bus with his parents in Greater Hogg Bay, but the bus never goes anywhere, and neither does Boris. Until one day, it does. Part of Scholastic's new Branches line, this aims to fill the gap between leveled readers and chapter books by combining elements of the two formats, with heavily illustrated pages supporting a simple and direct plot. There is even a comic-book element, as all dialogue is presented in speech bubbles. Readers won't be aware that they are being gently guided between reading levels, but they will certainly enjoy this tale of wanderlust. Boris is a relatable fellow, and the disconnect between his idea of adventure and his parents' is amusingly communicated by the illustrations. Look for three more Boris books, which are Australian imports, to be published in the U.S. by the end of the year.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Boris is an energetic character who longs for adventure, just like those his parents had before they turned their old bus into a house. One day they take him on an adventure of his own. Disappointed at first that it's only to another part of their town, he soon realizes that adventures can happen anywhere-even in his own backyard. This is a fun easy reader book with great full-color cartoons, brief text in large print, and likable characters. A bonus page gives instructions for making a compass, leading to a great interactive experience. Stranger Things has a bit more text and fewer illustrations. Ed feels that he does not have any interesting traits or talents; he is simply an extremely normal boy. However, he has no idea just what is in store for him when he finds a coin that says "strange, stranger." Soon everything is erupting into chaos, from his sister's food train turning into an actual moving train at the dinner table to a friend being able to turn his head completely around. Are these strange happenings trying to send Ed a message? This is a silly book that will pull kids in with the goofy plot and the fun black-and-white illustrations. The truly strange thing about this book is that it references Albert Camus's The Stranger, an odd choice for this audience. These books should be considered for larger libraries wanting to enhance their easy-reader collections.-Elizabeth Swistock, Orange County Public Library, VA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this new series, readers meet Boris, a warthog kid with big dreams. In Move, a boring family trip to the park turns into a wild adventure; in Lizard, Boris tries (unsuccessfully) to add a Komodo dragon to his ever-growing pet menagerie. New readers will respond positively to brightly saturated illustrations and easily digestible text. Instructions for related projects are included. [Review covers these titles: Boris Gets a Lizard and Boris on the Move.] (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An early reader shaped just like a chapter book: What's not to love? For emergent readers who view themselves as accomplished (or wish to be seen that way), this, one of the publisher's Branches line, might just be the perfect choice. Boris, a not-particularly-attractive hog, is frustrated. Although he and his parents live in a bus that once took them on fabulous vacations, now the old vehicle is permanently parked, and he longs for adventure. Finally, his empathetic parents fire up the engine to bring him on a journey that, it disappointingly turns out, is only across town to a nature preserve. However, Boris, his anger vividly portrayed in his frazzled body language, contrives to get himself satisfyingly lost. Happily, he's found, first by a cat in need of a home and then by his parents. Full-color illustrations of his humorously anthropomorphized hog family and just one or two sentences of easy, large-print text per page make this an inviting read for transitioning readers, although they may initially be a bit daunted by the misleading appearance of a full 74 pages of narrative--including a simple science experiment. The brief text and a chapter format both make this a manageable and entertaining accomplishment for most young readers as well as an amusing listening experience for those not quite able to tackle it alone. (Early reader. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
