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Davin
Outside, World War II rages gravely as German planes drop bombs over London. Inside one family's home, a boy lies ill in bed. Before leaving to fight in the war, his father told him about Davin, a teddy bear that holds the power to make sick boys well. But things look bad--no one knows where Davin is.
In an attempt to save their friend, the miniature figures of a little Bugle Boy, a blustery Sergeant Major, a princess, Robin Hood, Chingachgook, and Perseus, the Greek hero, come to life and join forces to find the mysterious Davin. Along the way, they encounter a ferocious cat, a man-eating spider, the Dark Knight, and Blackbeard and his band of terrifying pirates.
Read by Grandma Goddess to her grandchildren as they lie in their beds, Davin is a story within a story. A thrilling adventure for boys and girls, it is a fantasy in which literary and historical characters clash in a war between good and evil to save a child's life.
In an attempt to save their friend, the miniature figures of a little Bugle Boy, a blustery Sergeant Major, a princess, Robin Hood, Chingachgook, and Perseus, the Greek hero, come to life and join forces to find the mysterious Davin. Along the way, they encounter a ferocious cat, a man-eating spider, the Dark Knight, and Blackbeard and his band of terrifying pirates.
Read by Grandma Goddess to her grandchildren as they lie in their beds, Davin is a story within a story. A thrilling adventure for boys and girls, it is a fantasy in which literary and historical characters clash in a war between good and evil to save a child's life.
- GenresFantasy
170 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 18, 2019
Davin was a book I had picked up at a library book sale you spend about a dollar and could take as many books as you can fit into one bag. It is a time in which you merely go crazy grabbing a boatload of books because they are practically free. Davin was one of those books I snagged back in college that looked somewhat decent. It found its way into my collection surviving the initial purge of my purchase and has been on my bookshelf for ages collecting dust that came with the promise of 'one day it will be read.' That day ended up being today.
Little did I know that I had picked up a small but wonderful gem of a book. It admittedly doesn't look to be much the title seems a little stuffy, and the cover doesn't scream out 'read me' it honestly gives feelings of Indian in the Cupboard. However, this tale is so much different than that. Davin is a story within a story. The book is about Grandma Goddess reading a bedtime story to her grandchildren a story that the authors warmly welcome you to participate in and even invite readers to play along with the tale sipping tea or hot cocoa at the appropriate times. The introduction is charming stating how the book should be read aloud by an adult to a child. Pure magic - the book just drips with it. The characters are relatable, and the story that Grandma Goddess tells is enchanting.
The story that Grandma Goddess tells starts out with a bizarre fantasy vibe with a ragtag army of cowboys, Indians, knights and world war one army men getting ready to fight a battle. It is later revealed that this army is nothing more than an armament of toys living out a campaign as told an experienced by a little boy who lives in London during World War II and is sick with a deadly fever. As the child lays ill and possibly dying the toys go on a grand adventure to find a legendary teddy bear named Davin who is known to hill sick little boys of their ailments. The toys face off against cats, spiders, a Dark Knight, and the nefarious Captain Blackbeard. Not only will Davin help the sick little boy but will save the entire world of toys for toys of course only live as long as there is a child who believes in them to be real.
Overall the tale is an absolutely enchanting read and is one of those perfect read-aloud stories that adults and children alike get enveloped in. I know for me personally, I was reading the tale aloud to myself and my cats because the story was just that much fun, and if I had little ones to read a story too particularly at bedtime, this is a book I would pick up. While fast-paced, it was a joy and treat to read and had the classic hallmarks of a great children's adventure tale, and is honestly a story that you don't want to miss out on.
*This is cross posted from my Blog*
Little did I know that I had picked up a small but wonderful gem of a book. It admittedly doesn't look to be much the title seems a little stuffy, and the cover doesn't scream out 'read me' it honestly gives feelings of Indian in the Cupboard. However, this tale is so much different than that. Davin is a story within a story. The book is about Grandma Goddess reading a bedtime story to her grandchildren a story that the authors warmly welcome you to participate in and even invite readers to play along with the tale sipping tea or hot cocoa at the appropriate times. The introduction is charming stating how the book should be read aloud by an adult to a child. Pure magic - the book just drips with it. The characters are relatable, and the story that Grandma Goddess tells is enchanting.
The story that Grandma Goddess tells starts out with a bizarre fantasy vibe with a ragtag army of cowboys, Indians, knights and world war one army men getting ready to fight a battle. It is later revealed that this army is nothing more than an armament of toys living out a campaign as told an experienced by a little boy who lives in London during World War II and is sick with a deadly fever. As the child lays ill and possibly dying the toys go on a grand adventure to find a legendary teddy bear named Davin who is known to hill sick little boys of their ailments. The toys face off against cats, spiders, a Dark Knight, and the nefarious Captain Blackbeard. Not only will Davin help the sick little boy but will save the entire world of toys for toys of course only live as long as there is a child who believes in them to be real.
Overall the tale is an absolutely enchanting read and is one of those perfect read-aloud stories that adults and children alike get enveloped in. I know for me personally, I was reading the tale aloud to myself and my cats because the story was just that much fun, and if I had little ones to read a story too particularly at bedtime, this is a book I would pick up. While fast-paced, it was a joy and treat to read and had the classic hallmarks of a great children's adventure tale, and is honestly a story that you don't want to miss out on.
*This is cross posted from my Blog*
November 5, 2020
One of my wife's favorite childhood stories, we found a copy and read it as a bedtime story one or two chapters at a time with our 4 and 6 year olds. It's a good story with a pretty simple hero's journey structure that little kids will like. There's dramatic tension, but not so much that we ever had to put the book away like we did with some of the more mature Roald Dahl books.
December 11, 2021
A very cute childhood classic- not a lot of substance, but that's to be expected. I had a lot of nostalgia for this one, and it holds up!
April 6, 2022
Very cute. A great read aloud for when my toddlers get a few years older.
January 3, 2012
Out of print but definitely worth tracking a copy down if you have kids who enjoy being read to. It's not superbly written, nor an incredibly original story, but none of the kids I've read it to over my years as a nanny have ever minded. :) It's a sweet tale about a sick little boy and his toys' attempt to save him by finding his favorite teddy bear. It's a story within a story, being read aloud to the children in the book. There are recipes for the cookies they're eating and sharp injunctions to make hot chocolate and drink it while the story's being read. It's a perfect book to snuggle up with on a winter's night with your favorite little bookworms.
December 6, 2009
An utterly horrible book. I have no idea how this got published. The writing is appalling, filled with pretend words and constant repetition of the characters that seem to be no more than filler. This book is desperately in need of an editor and a reason for being. It was checked out at my library 3 times this year and I thought I'd read it to see why. Yuck!
July 23, 2015
Cute kids book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews