Awesome!

by Craig Shuttlewood

Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver are BFFs. But their friendship is tested when Marvin does something totally AWESOME and Woody remains ordinary. The other forest animals now adore Marvin - calling in his new superhero services to help right wrongs, solve problems, and fix trouble. They even build a statue in his honor! Woody watches with envy, hatching a not-so-awesome plan to put all eyes on him. Can Woody and Marvin save their friendship? Craig Shuttlewood explores friendship, jealousy, and forgiveness in this relatable picture book about finding the awesome inside each of us.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2018

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver are best friends, but their friendship is put to the test when all of a sudden Marvin becomes popular after saving a forest critter. Woody is excited at first and wants to help Marvin become even more popular by assisting with signs and even sewing a cape for him. Once the news gets out, Marvin quickly becomes the most awesome forest celebrity. As time goes on, Woody can't take it anymore and feels neglected and even jealous now that Marvin is too busy being popular. He misses his friend dearly and he'll do anything he can to gain some attention so he can be awesome just like Marvin.

We really loved the illustrations which reminded us of one of the kids' favorite cartoons, 'Adventure Time'. The story is funny, emotional, and thought-provoking for readers. Children will learn about forgiveness, compassion, and what it means to be a friend. We enjoyed the ending, but it did feel a little rushed. Overall, we enjoyed it.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4****

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the new picture books on the book cart at the Library, this was my favorite and the one I chose to bring home to read! The bright colors and dramatic art demanded my attention and the whimsical nature of the details of the illustrations made it linger long enough to want to peek inside. Once opened, the varying designs of the rabbits' ears clinched it and I checked it out. Once home, it was time to read it from cover to cover and I loved the antics of the animals with the underlying message about the importance of communicating our feelings with our friends.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marvin and Woody are best friends. When Marvin becomes a hero, he becomes very busy with his new friends and his acts of saving things. Woody feels left out and just a bit jealous. He can do great things too. Unfortunately, when we feel bad, we sometimes do bad things such as wrecking a statue or teasing others. Woody learns his lesson when once again, Marvin steps in to help. Woody also shows the forest neighbours that he can help too. This book is about friendship, jealousy and understanding. The illustrations are vibrant, colorful pictures that are simple and cute for young children. Its storyline is simple enough for children to follow, and its point is easily made in this short story. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This IS awesome. All the critters are funny and adorable.

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver live together in the forest and are the best of friends. They do everything together and are inseparable. One day Marvin does something so AWESOME that the whole forest takes note and deems him their superhero.

Marvin morphs into this magnanimous champion and offers services to the forest creatures such as righting wrongs, helping them solve problems and fixing any trouble that may come their way. They are so impressed with him that they carve a statue of him to salute his awesomeness.

Woody at first helps his friend out but as time goes by and Marvin takes more and more time away from their friendship to be awesome for others, Woody gets envious and jealous. He too would like to be extraordinary just like Marvin, not plain and overlooked like he is now.

Woody tries to shine the spotlight on himself but alas his efforts fail and does the complete opposite... the light around him goes dark and the forest creatures are not impressed by him at all. Poor Woody. Can these two friends ever become BFFs again? Is it even possible?

The message of the book is filled with inspiration and hope. It concludes that we all have a propensity for greatness tucked deep inside of us. As we journey through life we can discover that gift and when we it is unleashed we can become superheroes to those we encounter along the way too. "Awesome!" is a lovely segue to lots of discussion about morals, feelings of jealously, pride, and what being a superhero really entails. I certainly would recommend it.

[Richelle Zirkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvin and Woody are best friends forever. When Marvin saves the day and becomes a local hero, Woody begins to feel pushed out by Marvin's celebrity. Woody's attempt to get Marvin's attention and a little spotlight for himself goes awry. Will they be able to save the day and their friendship together?

This title has cute illustrations and a child-friendly focus on friendship.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Jaymie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story of friends and feeling left out. An honest look at what kids can do when they are feeling overlooked.

I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet picture book that explores friendship, jealousy, and forgiveness. The woodlands animals and the little details can make this a book that you will read over and over with your children.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect picture books for primary grades to help students understand friendship.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations in this picture book. You'll want to be friends with all the cute little forest creatures. Nice story about friendship, awesomeness, and of course, a moose.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable pictures.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty cute. The illustrations are adorable. Behaving badly doesn't get you the kind of attention you want.

[Juli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Marvin and Woody are best friends. One day Marvin rescues another forest animal and becomes an instant hero. Woody over time feels neglected by Marvin and starts acting out. Will these two remain friends? Can they work through this phase?

This book was just so-so for me. I enjoyed the morale of the story and the plotline. The overall message is important and kids should learn that lesson. So, if that's what you're looking for, this is an excellent book. What makes me deduct stars are the illustrations. I just didn't connect with the style. When I think of forests and forest creatures, I want to see bold and strong lines representing mighty trees and whimsical themes representing the animals. This had neither really. The style was fairly cartoonish but the illustrator did not fully commit to this either despite the fact that Marvin takes on a superhero character (Awesome!) and a cartoon/graphic novel style could've been fitting.


See my blog (spoilers possible!) here: https://ichleseblog.wordpress.com/201....

[Ioanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woody the beaver is Marvin the Moose's best friend. He loves his friend very much, but when Marvin does something very heroic and attracts attention, Woody feels like his friend only has time for his awesome actions. What is more, all the creatures in the forest now adore Marvin, and Woody feels left out, and more than a little jealous.

Awesome! is a book about friendship, jealousy and understanding. It comes with vibrant, colorful pictures that definitely catch the eye. Its storyline is simple enough for children, and its point is easily made.

My only objection would be that I felt the book needed a little more elaboration, plot-wise, towards the end, as the story felt a little anti-climactic. Still, a very pleasant and easy book to read.

[Jess M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and I liked the friendship between Woody and Marvin.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. Marvin the Moose becomes Awesome the hero after saving some friends. He becomes so popular that he does not have time for his friend Woody the beaver. Woody is tired of not getting any attention, so he does mischievous things to get people to notice him. Everything works out in the end, but there are no consequences. Woody gets a chance to rescue someone and is in the attention ring again. As a book to be read to children, the story skipping consequences and making everything right in the end is not a lesson we need to be teaching to children. They get enough of that already. If it wasn’t for that, i would have loved this book.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a hit with me and my daughter (who is even a couple years younger than the suggested age group for this book).

First off, any book about animals is usually pretty good at keeping a child's interest (at least my child), and I thought the author did an excellent job at exploring the friendship of Marvin and Woody. Haven't we all felt like Woody at one point? I think a lot of kids will be able to relate to this book, and I also liked the message that everyone has a purpose.

The icing on the cake of this book is the beautfiul illustrations. They are vibrant yet simple, and my daughter engaged with them.

I would love to read more books like this one! Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marvin the Moose and Woody the Beaver are best friends. One day, Marvin saves one of the other woodland creatures, and soon his good deed is known across the forest. Marvin decides to be an "awesome for hire," and idea that Woody initially is on board with, helping Marvin sew a cape. But soon, Marvin's fame is too much for Woody to handle, and he begins causing mischief. This is a cute book about friendship and working together. The illustrations are cute, and the story is simple enough for beginning readers. One point of concern for me was the statue at the end looked an awful lot like a totem pole, which makes me uncomfortable since this story does not touch on Native American culture in any other way. I'm not sure it was intentional or just a coincidence, but that is my one hesitation in recommending an otherwise cute story.

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Magy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver are best friends. One day, Marvin awesomely saves another forest animal from danger and quickly becomes a local hero. His friend Woody even makes him a cape and a mask and Marvin continues to do good deeds. But as Marvin’s fame spreads, Woody feels left out and starts getting his own attention but in a negative way. Everything comes to a head, and even though Woody causes a potentially large problem, he also helps Marvin save the day in the end.

My preschooler loves this book! We’ve read it at least 40 times in the past month! He loves that there is a superhero with a cape, he loves the animals and illustrations, he loves the word awesome, he loves that there is a statue, and he loves that even though Woody makes bad choices, Woody decides to make a better choice in the end and can be awesome too. Awesome! is a hit with my 3-year old!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. It's about two friends that live in the forest. When one becomes too important the other feels left out. The story was cute and well told in a fun way. The illustrations were bright and fun. This is a great book.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome is a picturebook by Craig Shuttlewood which is currently scheduled for release on August 1 2018. Marvin the moose and Woody the beaver are best friends. But their friendship is tested when Marvin does something totally AWESOME and Woody remains ordinary. The other forest animals now adore Marvin, calling in his new superhero services to help right wrongs, solve problems, and fix trouble. They even build a statue in his honor! Woody watches with envy, and often helping his friend, but hatching a not-so-awesome plan to put all eyes on him. Can Woody and Marvin save their friendship?

Awesome is a lively picturebook about jealousy, friendship, and forgiveness. I love the illustrations, they are bright and bold- adding a great deal to the story. Woody is feeling left behind and forgotten, and his plans to be noticed go in the opposite direction than he might have hoped. While he might not have done the right things to get attention, when Marvin sat down and talked to him about it I like tat he explained how he was feeling, and apologized for the trouble his actions caused. I think this is a relatable story,. and one that shows how much trouble could be avoided by talking about our feelings, and that owning our mistakes is the right thing to do. The story is heartfelt and a pleasure visually and as a whole.

[Amber Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh heavens, I loved this book. It was filled with humor and laughs while still instilling a few values along the way. When Marvin and Woody are together they have fun and help others. Marvin quickly becomes the star of the duo and there are some awesome feelings and some not so awesome feelings. Woody starts trying to be more awesome and causes some trouble, but in the end, they get back together and work it all out.
My husband loved this book as did my two young children. I immediately ordered a copy for home and school!

[Dr. Cheryl S. Vanatti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not blog this title, but will add my quick two cents here. A little on the didactic side for my taste. Also not in love with the illustrations. There is a nice message in there and I might add it to a school library shelf, but not necessarily for a classroom shelf when budgets are tight. In the end, jealousy is certainly a topic that youngsters need to explore so library purchase is probably warranted.