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Lizard Brew
In the silly, gross award-winning children's book, Cat's Fur, we met Carmina. Carmina is a witch who loves to do all the witchy things. Only there's one problem! Carmina the Witch is allergic to cat fur. Heavens! Witches are supposed to be surrounded by cats. Carmina's allergies leave her bed-ridden. What is she to do? Find out in this charming follow-up sequel when Carmina's cat Castor fixes all that ails her.
44 pages, Hardcover
Published September 8, 2020
3 people want to read
About the author
Bonnie Stanard
17 books15 followersBonnie Rawls Stanard grew up in South Carolina on a farm near the North Edisto River, went to college, married Doug Stanard in Virginia Beach, and has moved as far as Brussels, Belgium in following his career. It is often the case that she doesn’t know what she thinks until she writes it down. This is particularly true of poetry. She’s been thinking enough to write seven novels and two books of poetry, which can be found at various online venues. Most of her novels are historical fiction, which allows readers to travel back in time and explore the historical record.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 23, 2020
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Lizards Brew is the sequel to Bonnie Stanards book Cats Fur. I found this book more enjoyable than book 1 as I seems to have more information about what is happening. These books are definitely books for everyone and are quite dark. I've enjoyed this series and hope there will be a third book too.
Lizards Brew is the sequel to Bonnie Stanards book Cats Fur. I found this book more enjoyable than book 1 as I seems to have more information about what is happening. These books are definitely books for everyone and are quite dark. I've enjoyed this series and hope there will be a third book too.
November 3, 2020
Surprisingly, I liked this one much better than Cat's Fur! It's like a proper sequel to that book. And this one is much more wholesome and longer. I liked how this one is more well done.
I love the illustrations! It's so apt for the season!
All the Halloween vibes here!
The old witch is trying to brew a cure for her running nose and to create something to cure a hex.
I can totally relate with her lonely times when one's sick and alone.
The cats seem a little less in this one but still way too many to be taken cared of by a lone, old woman.
However,I didn't like the lizard brewing part. I know it's witch brewing classic recipe but no, no lizards be harmed fictional or fantastical it may be. Kids don't need to know lizards be brewed like that. Yes, the animal protection vibes sprang up out of nowhere.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
I love the illustrations! It's so apt for the season!
All the Halloween vibes here!
The old witch is trying to brew a cure for her running nose and to create something to cure a hex.
I can totally relate with her lonely times when one's sick and alone.
The cats seem a little less in this one but still way too many to be taken cared of by a lone, old woman.
However,I didn't like the lizard brewing part. I know it's witch brewing classic recipe but no, no lizards be harmed fictional or fantastical it may be. Kids don't need to know lizards be brewed like that. Yes, the animal protection vibes sprang up out of nowhere.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
August 10, 2020
Lizard Brew by Bonnie Stanard was an interesting read.
I really enjoyed the illustrations and really felt they added to the book.
I was a little confused about this story. I do not know if this was due to it being the second in the series or just not finding it that interesting. I did not find the idea of a witch being allergic to her cats overly exciting. Secondly, I wasn’t sure if this book was for adults or children. It seemed too dark for children, but not interesting enough for an adult.
I think some might enjoy this, but it just was not for me. The illustrations were beautiful though.
I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA.) All opinions are 100% my own.
I really enjoyed the illustrations and really felt they added to the book.
I was a little confused about this story. I do not know if this was due to it being the second in the series or just not finding it that interesting. I did not find the idea of a witch being allergic to her cats overly exciting. Secondly, I wasn’t sure if this book was for adults or children. It seemed too dark for children, but not interesting enough for an adult.
I think some might enjoy this, but it just was not for me. The illustrations were beautiful though.
I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA.) All opinions are 100% my own.
August 5, 2020
I feel like I missing a piece of the story?! I don’t know. It’s a bit odd and there is too much text on each pages for this type of book and sometimes the way the text is positioned is hard to figure out what to read (like the columns?)
I personally prefer less text and more specific for these kind of kids books. I’m sure the author would be good to write a novel tho:
I wouldn’t recommend it for young readers probably more like 7-10yrs and I’m not sure over that they will be interested tho
Overall it’s a nice book for Halloween, pictures are okay a bit fade for me but I think it’s fine for a witch story.
#netgalley
I personally prefer less text and more specific for these kind of kids books. I’m sure the author would be good to write a novel tho:
I wouldn’t recommend it for young readers probably more like 7-10yrs and I’m not sure over that they will be interested tho
Overall it’s a nice book for Halloween, pictures are okay a bit fade for me but I think it’s fine for a witch story.
#netgalley
September 8, 2020
We come back to the tale of Carmina, the witch and her allergy to cats. In this follow up, to Bonnie Stanard's "Cat's Fur" we find out the source of Carmina and Sagmarilla's cat allergies and this is the quest of Carmina to solve the problem.
“Lizards Brew,” once again has some of the most beautiful and detailed illustrations by illustrator Marlaena Shannon which draw you into the book and the story. I found myself going back just to look at the pictures.
The story itself is well told and explains why Carmina and Sagmarilla have their new allergy to cats when they didn't have it before. (You'll have to read to find out what happened) Carmina is frustrated with her allergy and doesn't understand why one of her many cats, Caster keeps bringing her green lizards. Rather than question the cats’ efforts, she takes the lizards and stores them for the future.
As we get into the book Carmina decides to create a potion for curing the witches’ allergies. Unfortunately, the potion isn't complete so she opts for a Dreams Potion to send to Sagmarilla hoping it will make her friend feel better. While she is making the potion she hears voices telling her to listen to her cats because they are trying to help her.
Carmina eventually falls asleep and after a dream that gives her some hints: she wakes and realizes her cats had been trying to help her the entire time to cure her allergy. All is well when she finds the right ingredient to add to the potion which has literally been in her hands the whole book. Eventually she is cured and all is right for Carmina. We can only imagine that she will send her friend some of this magical potion or the recipe and make her well too.
I really liked this book; the story was told well, and there was much more depth to this story than the first. That is to be expected though, as the first book's story was actually a poem written by the author. "Lizard Brew" is a perfect way to follow the previous book and it's story, however, this could be read on it's own without having read the first book at all. Both books together, or this one on it's own would be good gifts for Halloween or any child who loves witches, cats, or Halloween. I think the author and illustrator worked well together to create a wonderful, magical book for children.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this electronic edition of the book in exchange for my honest reviews.
“Lizards Brew,” once again has some of the most beautiful and detailed illustrations by illustrator Marlaena Shannon which draw you into the book and the story. I found myself going back just to look at the pictures.
The story itself is well told and explains why Carmina and Sagmarilla have their new allergy to cats when they didn't have it before. (You'll have to read to find out what happened) Carmina is frustrated with her allergy and doesn't understand why one of her many cats, Caster keeps bringing her green lizards. Rather than question the cats’ efforts, she takes the lizards and stores them for the future.
As we get into the book Carmina decides to create a potion for curing the witches’ allergies. Unfortunately, the potion isn't complete so she opts for a Dreams Potion to send to Sagmarilla hoping it will make her friend feel better. While she is making the potion she hears voices telling her to listen to her cats because they are trying to help her.
Carmina eventually falls asleep and after a dream that gives her some hints: she wakes and realizes her cats had been trying to help her the entire time to cure her allergy. All is well when she finds the right ingredient to add to the potion which has literally been in her hands the whole book. Eventually she is cured and all is right for Carmina. We can only imagine that she will send her friend some of this magical potion or the recipe and make her well too.
I really liked this book; the story was told well, and there was much more depth to this story than the first. That is to be expected though, as the first book's story was actually a poem written by the author. "Lizard Brew" is a perfect way to follow the previous book and it's story, however, this could be read on it's own without having read the first book at all. Both books together, or this one on it's own would be good gifts for Halloween or any child who loves witches, cats, or Halloween. I think the author and illustrator worked well together to create a wonderful, magical book for children.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this electronic edition of the book in exchange for my honest reviews.
September 4, 2020
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous. I just wish it had a different or more clearly written story to go with it. From page one I was really confused as to what was going on, and now I see there's another book called Cat's Fur by this author which apparently comes just before this one? Expect there is no where in the description that says that... The story just doesn't flow well and is sort of disjointed and jumps around, like one minute the witch is looking for a cure for a hex that's made her (and her friend? I'm still not clear on that...) allergic to her cats, and then suddenly she's like "Meh, this potion for good dreams looks cool, I'll just make that." Uh... What? That being said, my 4 and 6 year old stayed pretty engaged through the most of the book, despite having a lot of text on each page and the book being fairly long. I think maybe they're too young to have noticed the bits where the story didn't make much sense, haha.
Guest review by Jaime (age 6):
What was your favorite part? "The throat part, the healin' throat part where she was all better. Also, I like the potions one too. I would definitely take one of those because then I wouldn't have nightmares."
Where there any parts you didn't like? "Nope, nothin'. I like everything."
Guest review by Link (age 4):
"Good, it was so good. My favorite part was the potion, the dream potion."
Where there any parts you didn't like? "There's nothin' bad about the book."
A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
Guest review by Jaime (age 6):
What was your favorite part? "The throat part, the healin' throat part where she was all better. Also, I like the potions one too. I would definitely take one of those because then I wouldn't have nightmares."
Where there any parts you didn't like? "Nope, nothin'. I like everything."
Guest review by Link (age 4):
"Good, it was so good. My favorite part was the potion, the dream potion."
Where there any parts you didn't like? "There's nothin' bad about the book."
A digital ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
August 5, 2020
The witch was cursed, and now she's allergic to her cats! She sneezes and sniffles, her eyes are puffy, her temper short. Something has to be done.
The witch tinkers and tankers, collecting herbs, brewing potions.
This book reminded me of my grandmother. She had this book about a witch with the same first name as she had, and the animals living around her cottage messed around with magic so the grass was blue, the sky green, and trees... don't know any more.
But she had to fix things since this was not how it's supposed to be.
In addition, the drawing style is kind of similiar to the one found in this book. So now I am quite nostalgic after reading this one.
In the last time, when I've read a picture book, the illustrations were mostly cute while in Lizard Brew, they tend to be more on the realistic side of things, which is not bad. As I said, it feels nostalgic.
Though this is not the first in a series but rather the third book, I had no difficulty getting into it. It can be read as a standalone. I like that something every-day like allergies are the topic of this book, since I feel that it's not that often spoken about while a lot of children deal with this.
I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
The witch tinkers and tankers, collecting herbs, brewing potions.
This book reminded me of my grandmother. She had this book about a witch with the same first name as she had, and the animals living around her cottage messed around with magic so the grass was blue, the sky green, and trees... don't know any more.
But she had to fix things since this was not how it's supposed to be.
In addition, the drawing style is kind of similiar to the one found in this book. So now I am quite nostalgic after reading this one.
In the last time, when I've read a picture book, the illustrations were mostly cute while in Lizard Brew, they tend to be more on the realistic side of things, which is not bad. As I said, it feels nostalgic.
Though this is not the first in a series but rather the third book, I had no difficulty getting into it. It can be read as a standalone. I like that something every-day like allergies are the topic of this book, since I feel that it's not that often spoken about while a lot of children deal with this.
I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
August 28, 2020
Lizard Brew is a picturebook about Carmine and her cats. Carmina is a witch and is hexed by Hector so that she is allergic to cats. Her friend Sagmarilla shares the same fate. Carmina starts sneezing and is having headache around her cats. How can a witch live away from her cats?
One of her cats, Caster starts bringing her dead lizards. Will Carmina be able to figure out the potion for removing her allergy? Why does Caster keep bringing dead lizards?
Surprisingly this a book that I can’t figure out whether I liked or not. The story is simple but seemed disconnected in a few places. The illustrations are one of a kind. This book is apt for reading around Halloween time, with a witch, cats, lizards, spells and brews.
One of her cats, Caster starts bringing her dead lizards. Will Carmina be able to figure out the potion for removing her allergy? Why does Caster keep bringing dead lizards?
Surprisingly this a book that I can’t figure out whether I liked or not. The story is simple but seemed disconnected in a few places. The illustrations are one of a kind. This book is apt for reading around Halloween time, with a witch, cats, lizards, spells and brews.
August 24, 2020
**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**
The artwork was interesting, but I felt as if this was a little dark for children. Maybe children from the 1980s who grew up with Labyrinth, but definitely not children from 2020.
The words seemed to be overly crowded onto the page, maybe if it had been spread out more, it would have been a little bit of an easier time to read.
Overall, even though the description says there is a prequel, it almost feels as if the prequel should have been combined with this book to make a complete story. It just feels incomplete, as if someone wanted to rush production on this book.
The artwork was interesting, but I felt as if this was a little dark for children. Maybe children from the 1980s who grew up with Labyrinth, but definitely not children from 2020.
The words seemed to be overly crowded onto the page, maybe if it had been spread out more, it would have been a little bit of an easier time to read.
Overall, even though the description says there is a prequel, it almost feels as if the prequel should have been combined with this book to make a complete story. It just feels incomplete, as if someone wanted to rush production on this book.
August 10, 2020
This is the second book that I have read by this author and I did prefer this to the previous one but it is still a story that didn't work for me.
The story is quite dark, as are the images which do suit the story but I will be honest it is not one that I would re-read and not one that I would read with my daughter.
It is 2.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 3 stars for Goodreads and Amazon - just not one that worked for me.
The story is quite dark, as are the images which do suit the story but I will be honest it is not one that I would re-read and not one that I would read with my daughter.
It is 2.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 3 stars for Goodreads and Amazon - just not one that worked for me.
October 5, 2020
While it never comes right out and and says “Witch” Carmina is a witch. Her friend has been hexed with allergies to her cat. And Carmina’s curious cats keep bringing her dead lizards. As an adult I liked this story, but it’s windy, and gets lost in itself. It’s too long for most picture books, has no rhyme and changes topics. It’s almost like talking to your grandmother. Overall I liked it, and I love the illustrations, but It will never be mainstream read.
October 19, 2020
A witch, Carmina is allergic to her cat thanks to a hex by another magic-user named Hector. But with the help of one of her cats, Castor, she may have found a solution.
I thought the artwork was nice but the story was too long for a picture book. Also, I didn't like the story overall Carmina's actions against her cats is not the kind of message I want to send to my students about problem-solving.
I thought the artwork was nice but the story was too long for a picture book. Also, I didn't like the story overall Carmina's actions against her cats is not the kind of message I want to send to my students about problem-solving.
August 5, 2020
Utterly unremarkable book about a witch whose cats get hexed to make her allergic to them. So-so script and artwork – I just don't consider this very memorable at all. What's more, this is the sequel to the announcement of the curse, which is available elsewhere – now, the two books are certainly two halves of a pair, but when one has about fifty words and the other five hundred, why can't two become one??!!
August 10, 2020
What a quirky little story. I appreciate that it's not simply filled with mainstream cutesy creatures and beautiful witches, but considers and accepts wrinkles, sneezes and aging. I"m afraid this one will be a tough sell for most children due to this same lack of diva witches. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and the story, though simple, has a touching level of heart.
August 14, 2020
I have never read such a clunky, awkward, children's story. Poorly written, awkwardly illustrated, this is not a book I would ever recommend. A children's book should have good pacing and a smooth flow; this work had neither. What it does have is a completely unlovable main character and a story that never really takes off or lands.
A book to avoid, my friends.
A book to avoid, my friends.
September 1, 2020
I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I found the illustrations a little creepy at times. The illustrator did a wonderful job making the old man and woman look old! The cats were really cute and it is a really good storyline about a lady who wants to rid herself of her cat allergy.
I found the illustrations a little creepy at times. The illustrator did a wonderful job making the old man and woman look old! The cats were really cute and it is a really good storyline about a lady who wants to rid herself of her cat allergy.
August 16, 2020
Wonderfully llustrated and an imaginative story. Castor the cat helps Carmina to find a cure for her allergies.
November 22, 2020
I enjoyed reading this book. The illustrations are gorgeous.
I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
December 9, 2020
*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Kinda weird book, liked the art but the story was odd
August 27, 2020
Hard to understand this book without first reading it's predecessor. I don't really like the dark magic that this picture book portrays. I wouldn't want to read this to small children. I do like that there is a solution and a definite ending to this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Vestra Lingua Publishing for a free digital copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Vestra Lingua Publishing for a free digital copy.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews