10 Little Ninjas

Reviewed by: Theresa Bonnevie Bauld - Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 29, 2016

Review

A weak variation on the familiar story of little monkeys jumping on a bed, this version features 10 little children who like to sneak out of bed. The story starts with the 10 children dressed as ninja's sneaking out of bed. From this point on, the children take on other rolls that include astronauts, firefighters, tigers and pirates. The title of the book seems misleading as the children only start as ninja's and there is no other reference to ninja's. The writing is weak with rhymes that seem forced and overly complicated for a young reader. The illustrations that were created in photoshop by combining acrylic and digital paint do an adequate job depicting the ethnically diverse children as they go from adventure to adventure. The scenes are colorful and playful and the style whimsical. Children will enjoy counting down throughout the book. Unfortunately, the last spread also include the copyright information and this text falls right into the illustration of the children finally sleeping. This is a major distraction from the otherwise satisfying ending.

Overall Book Score: fair