I read this with my youngest. We've read several "If you give an animal an item" stories in the past so this was a great take-off on the whole kids' book genres. We greatly enjoyed it, though I think I caught more of the hints at other books than she did.

I was prepared to tell Timothy Young to leave the muffin books to Numeroff, but I am glad I read before I judged. To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of the “If you give” books, but Timothy has changed my mind. His cantankerous puffin absolutely does not eat muffins, he doesn’t like being in a story, and his crayons can run away. Absolutely loved this book.

I was intrigued by this book because I too read the "If you give a mouse a cookie series" to my kids at home and school. I thought it was funny (as an adult) but things just fell apart for me at the halfway point. I don't really think young children will pick up on the humour. My 8 year old avid reader gives it 2 stars and I would have to agree.
I am curious to see more of this author's work but this one just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you to Net Galley and Schiffer Publishing LTD for the advance copy.

This was a very cute children's book and my first in the series. My daughter really enjoyed it and we will be looking into more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Everyone’s favorite puffin is back, and guess what—he’s still ANGRY! When Puffin is offered a muffin, he realizes that he's the subject of another picture book and the target of a rhyming scheme gone wrong. His emotions take over and chaos ensues as he tries to escape the story line. Luckily, Puffin knows just where to turn for help. See what happens when characters from other picture books come to Puffin's rescue. Timothy Young fans will have fun spotting characters and scenes from his previously published books, as well as references to other children's classics. Will Puffin get lost in the fantasy worlds, or will he find his way out?

This was a fun little story that started out with the puffin getting very offended about being offered a muffin to eat - just because the words rhyme. The puffin gives examples of other animals who don't eat food just because their names rhyme. The puffin is self-aware - he knows he is in this story and, as an act of defiance - he wants out!

Started off well but seemed to get lost as to what age group it was trying to reach. Early on, it was definitely for early readers but, as the story unfolded, the humor and storytelling got definitely "older" - to a point that I don't think the age of the kids who would get these jokes would be reading a picture book...

Good art kept the pages bright and inviting, keeping young eyes fixed to the page. So that helped get this up to a three-star book.


Paul
ARH

Ohhhhhh boy Puffin is back and he's ticked! He is trying to relax and read his favourite book but is interrupted by an offer to have a muffin.

"No thank you, puffins don't eat muffins", he says politely.

The offer persists and Puffin becomes more adamant in his response.

"I said, NO THANK YOU puffins eat fish, squid, and sand eels, not muffins."

And then the light bulb comes on and Puffin realizes that this is a ploy to get him involved in another stupid old picture book and he wants none of that again. He finally reaches his boiling point and stomps off. Puffin has had it and he needs to head for the hills... RIGHT NOW!!!!

In order to make his getaway he seeks help from previous books characters and some nostalgic characters from other well-known kid classics. How fun is that?

Can angry little Puffin find a portal to peace and sanity and be left alone?

I adore Timothy Young's books. I think we have the same sense of humour. His books are witty and full of emotion, humour and most of all.... fun. The illustrations are crisp, clear and a perfect marriage to the storyline. I highly recommend this book and all his other ones too. They are reading treats.

This book hit all the right notes for me and my nephew: it has rhyming, an interesting animal (that we had to look up facts about), and a large helping of silliness. There's something about picture books that break with tradition and have characters that question the author and refuse to do what they're supposed to that is absolutely delightful. We already read this book twice and it will be getting many more rereads.

An angry little puffin does NOT want a muffin. Nor does he want to be the main character in a picture book. So, he confronts the author to set things straight. But on his way, he encounters places, characters and situations from other popular children's books like Harold and the Purple Crayon and Journey.

A funny parody. The voice and the illustrations will illicit plenty of giggles from students.

This was a delightful little book for younger children. My daughter who is four loved the illustrations which were cute and colourful and simplistic. I might have liked to have seen a little more detail in the drawings and background, something to grab her attention and spark questions beyond the Puffin himself.

The book did provide the Puffin with lots of expressions - we like to practise "How do you think he feels" questions when we read! - and I do enjoy the idea of characters breaking the walls between reader, character and author. But it has been done before and more thoughtfully and with more fun: Nibbles the Book Monster springs to mind. But the concept has a wittiness to it and in the refusal of the Puffin to play the writer's games... but the language itself was a little pedestrian and maybe not wholly aimed at the same age level as the illustrations: it seemed less playful and less witty than the concept - a little repetitive....

But it was fun enough and enjoyable and my daughter liked it, so worthy of maybe three and a half stars. In the absence of that option, three stars!

IF YOU GIVE THE PUFFIN A MUFFIN is a hilarious book about an angry bird who wants out of a picture book when he’s given a muffin. Part of a series, with characters from other Timothy Young books showing up to enliven the fun. Highly recommended for kids and adults!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

 #IfYouGiveThePuffinAmuffin #NetGalley

First off I love how angry this little guy is lol, never I repeat never give this guy a muffin! I won't lie my kids did not quite get why I found it so funny, but they did think the artwork was cute. I love that the author put in himself and the puffin having a conversation, it ups the funny factor. All in all I would say cute little read. #If You Give the Puffin a Muffin #NetGalley

I have to say, I'm blown away by the number of positive reviews this book has received. It was a huge disappointment in my eyes. Admittedly, I've never read the first book in the series. I requested it because I thought it would be fun to read with my daughter. The illustrations looked cute, and I figured it would contain a witty style of writing. The first few pages included some rhymes that caught LO's attention. Sadly, it went rapidly downhill afterward. The author seemed to be grasping for any and everything familiar that would draw attention to the story... from the title being in the same vain as the "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" & so on series, to images and written reference to "The Day The Crayons Quit." Even a brief visual reference to "Harold & The Purple Crayon."

Overall, this could have been a great book if the author had gone in a different direction. I'd be curious to see his other work so I can try to get a better feel for his style.

This book is HILARIOUS! For every parent who has read "If You Give a Mouse a Muffin" and it's billion sequels too many times to count, this book is for you. "If You Give the Puffin a Muffin" is a sort of spoof off the "If You Give A..." series, as well as some other nods to other series (like The Day the Crayons Quit and Harold and the Purple Crayon, among others). There's even a little conversation between Puffin and the author that goes a little like this:
~"Why did you write another book about me?"
"I thought it woul dbe funny."
~"You wrote a whole book because PUFFIN rhymes with MUFFIN?"
"Um, er, yeah.... I, uhhh..."
~"You're not a very good writer, are you?"
"Some people like my books."

LOL! (Spoiler - Puffins do not eat muffins!)

If You Give the Puffin a Muffin by Timothy Young is an adorable children's picture book. The Puffin in the story is quite determined to get OUT of the story because he doesn't eat muffins.. Come along for the fun journey! I read this book with my seven year old and he gave the book his highest rating. I loved it, too. I highly recommend this book for children. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

I thought this was funny and made me feel nostalgic because it touched on some other childhood classics. I'm not sure how much of this humor would go over a child's head but I think adults would enjoy it while reading it during storytime.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My kids absolutely loved this book. My 8 year old didn't quite like the pictures but my younger 2 year old loved them. The story line is great for anyone a perfect classroom story or even a bedtime story!

This story pokes fun at books like "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie," "If You Give A Moose A Muffin," etc. The puffin in this story is self-aware and knows he is in a book, so he decides to take matters into his own hands. He does not eat muffins, and he refuses to play along just to make the author happy. His rants are hilarious and will have adults and children alike laughing out loud.

This book does not follow the typical line of how a children’s book is written. It breaks down the fourth wall and invites the author in and creatively, or at least differently. The puffin finds a box of magic crayons to draw a wall to allow him in.

It’s a quirky book and typically I am one who loves adult type humor in a children’s book, but it fell flat for me. I could see the book being used as a prompt for creativity for kids to try this style of writing. It was, however, a stretch for me to find that in this book.

Overall, this book might be a fun read for children and that is perfect for helping to encourage further reading. That is always a positive.

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for a pre-publication ebook in exchange for an honest review.

If You Give the Puffin a Muffin is clever and fun. Young children as well as adults will definitely enjoy it. It made me laugh out loud.

What an odd and surprising little children's book this is.

On the surface this is not the usual classroom friendly book with a moral or an underlying lesson. We have a main character with a bit of an edge and a narrative that breaks the fourth wall by including the author as he is writing the book. Which is all a little odd. However, this isn't a complete exception in children's picture books as titles like 'The Day the Crayons Quit' subvert the usual norm of a lovable lead character and the regular form of story writing as well.

I think the lesson children can take from this book is to just love reading. This is a book made to be read for fun and one which lends itself to further reading too. The Puffin finds a box of magic crayons and uses them to create a door to another world as is seen in 'Journey' by Aaron Becker (a beautifully illustrated book I would urge you to check out!), and his use of living crayons naturally allows fora link to be drawn to books by Drew Daywalt. For any grown up s reading this book with children there is also the fact that the puffin is sat reading 'So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish' by Douglas Adams, a nice subtle bit of humour to add to a book which is already funny for children.

As far as the text is concerned, the story arc is very unusual but could be used as a writing prompt to celebrate creativity and possibly to encourage children to write themselves into their own story. There is also some rhyme throughout which can be a handy tool for teaching. It isn't the greatest or most powerful children's story you'll ever read, but it's fun, and sometimes that's all a book needs to be.

Overall, I liked this book mainly for the fact that it is just a fun read for children that is perfect for helping to encourage further reading. That can only be a good thing.