review of The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster now on my site

I’ve just posted a review of The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster (Hougton Mifflin, September 2007, ISBN-13: 978-0618556441 ) on my site. The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster is a funny, entertaining fantasy. If you ever hated a food and were told you had to eat it, or you just want a fun read, pick this book up!

From my review:

Katerina-Elizabeth hates oatmeal, but that’s what she keeps being served on her voyage to Scotland to see her grandmother. So she throws her bowl of oatmeal overboard, and by chance, a passing sea worm discovers it and gobbles it up, enjoying it immensely. The sea worm loves the oatmeal so much he decides to follow the ship. Every morning, Katerina-Elizabeth throws her bowl overboard–and every morning, the little worm eats the oatmeal Katerina-Elizabeth tosses into the water. Over the course of the voyage, the sea worm grows larger and larger, and becomes tame. When Katerina-Elizabeth’s voyage ends, the sea worm is sad; he wants more of that delicious oatmeal. Scottish children all around Loch Ness oblige him by throwing theirs into the water, and the sea worm continues to grow, until a girl spots him in Loch Ness and decides that he’s a monster. This is a funny, entertaining story about picky eating, sea monsters, and the fantastic consequences of one girl throwing out her breakfast.

Flaherty opens the story with a fairy-tale-like opening, setting the tone for the fantasy that follows. Young readers, especially, will feel delight as the tiny sea worm quickly grows larger just by eating oatmeal, transforming throughout the book from a tiny sea worm into a huge “monster.”

There’s a lovely humor throughout the text–both dry humor, and more lively humor–such as the matter-of-fact statement that Katerina-Elizabeth’s parents “thoughtfully planned every step of the trip for her, even her meals,” which of course includes oatmeal, which she hates, and the spirited way that Katerina-Elizabeth throws her breakfast out the porthole each morning–an act that will bring delighted smiles to young readers faces. (I would have loved to throw out my own oatmeal as a child.) Flaherty also uses contrast to create humor; Katerina-Elizabeth so clearly hates oatmeal, while the sea worm loves it so much that he follows the ship along its long voyage. It’s also funny when the sea worm swallows the bowl, as well as the oatmeal; when the sea worm learns tricks such as catching the oatmeal mid air; and when Flaherty lets the reader know that as many Scottish children as American children hate oatmeal. Occasional adult humor is written into the book, such as when the worm, being American, sees the usefulness of advertising; this adds another layer of enjoyment for older readers.

You can read my entire review here:
http://www.cherylrainfield.com/picture-book-review_Luck-of-the-loch-ness-monster.html

I recommend it.