The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series Book #1) by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada – Review by Angela Hayes

The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 – 3 Stars

The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About is the first book in the Porter and Midge Series by Jennie Chen & Giselle Nevada. I have come into the series a little backwards, starting on Book #4 and working my way back. Luckily each book in the series can be read as a standalone, as each one contains its own ‘adventure’/lessons.
I could tell right away that this is the first book in the series as it is a lot ‘busier’, ‘wordier’, and a bit of an ‘information’ and image overload. There was so much going on in each illustration, with so many smaller more ‘intricate’ details- as well as the ‘wordier’ story printed over the illustrations- making for a bit of a ‘cluttered’, chaotic look and feel.
While the information contained in the story was interesting, and helpful for people wanting to train/socialize the new fur-members of their family (vet checks, vaccinations, socialization, training, instilling confidence, building resilience etc)- unfortunately most of that was lost amongst all the ‘clutter’. And while the illustrations were neat- they don’t have the same cute and engaging quality of the later books (Books #2 – #5- and although Book #5 isn’t out yet I had a look at the cover, and it has the same ‘cute’ illustrations that we love). The illustrations that do accompany this instalment, I feel, don’t help to reinforce the ‘lessons’ in the book, or really ‘engage’ the reader. They are well-drawn and somewhat colourful, but because there is so much going on in them, with so much ‘detailing’ it felt more like a ‘Where’s Waldo/Where’s Wally’ puzzle book than a children’s puppy adventure story. I hope I am making sense here….
This instalment also lacks the great ‘rhyming rhythm’ of the storytelling in the other books, which makes them so much more engaging and enjoyable than this one.
I Thought that it might just be my opinion, but when I tried reading the story to my grandchildren (aged between 3years and 8 years), which I have done with all the other books in the series (and they have loved)- they didn’t even make it to the second page before they lost interest with this one, and started talking over the story, wondering why Porter, Midge, CJ, and Lora didn’t ‘look’ the same as the other books. That’s all they seemed to focus on…
Looking forward to getting back to the ‘Porter and Midge’ style we love- with ‘Paws and Pastries’ (Porter and Midge: Paws and Pastries: A Kid’s Guide to Homemade Dog Treats – Book #5).
Happy Reading…

Thank you, Jennie Chen & Giselle Nevada!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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