Cover Image: Dash and Nikki and The Jellybean Game

Dash and Nikki and The Jellybean Game

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Member Reviews

Thank you Netgalley for this book in exchange for a review. Dash and Nikki and The Jellybean Game is a great story about sharing and generosity. Wonderful story to share with children to practice sharing with friends and siblings!

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Such a cute little storybook about siblings letting the readers see how they can share and learn things together.

Love the artstyle and the colourful pages!

Thank you, author/artist and the publisher, for the advance reading copy.

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THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

An adorable story that teaches children the importance of sharing and patience.

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I love this book not only for siblings, but for friends, cousins, students, etc. I think it shows a beautiful lesson that kids and even adults all need to learn on sharing and teamwork. Two siblings are both challenged with jellybeans, and while there were struggles getting there it shows how teamwork can succeed. The illustrations are captivating for all audiences, along with the message. I enjoyed it so much, I plan to try the challenge with my own kids and then read them the story.

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Dash and Nikki and The Jellybean Game is a short, rhyming picture book about a brother and sister challenged by their parents to exercise patience and self-discipline to get increase their reward. Great for teaching kids long-term thinking and impulse control.

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This book is an interesting and a fun-filled way for children to learn many valuable life lessons.

Dash and Nikki are siblings who find a new game prepared for them by their mother. The reward involves jellybeans, and the task seems quite simple at first. However they both soon realise that the game is not as easy as it sounds.

The content is broadly based on the Stanford marshmallow experiment on delayed gratification, which proved that those who wait patiently reap greater success in future. This complicated concept is put forth in a straightforward and easy-to-understand story that children will definitely enjoy.

The tale is written in simple rhythmic verse. While I’m not a fan of forced rhymes in children’s books (I prefer prose-based content), this book doesn’t go overboard in fitting in rhyming words compulsively. The meter has a very relaxed and natural tone, hence the narrative flows easily.

As I said at the start, there are many important lessons that the book aims to deliver. Some of these are obvious: it’s important to share, one must have patience,… Some lessons were deeper: how savings grow over time if we wait, how we can avoid temptation by hiding it from our eyes (metaphorically, and maybe even literally) Kids might need the help of their parents/guardians to understand the deeper financial implications of the lessons, but the basic moral comes out easily: save now to enjoy later. Of course, parents will need to deliver one more lesson that isn’t outright included in the book: don’t eat all those jellybeans at once! Patience is needed even when you reap the rewards of your success. 😉

The illustrations were pretty good, nothing outstanding but definitely not bad. Let’s be honest, this isn’t a book you would pick up for its sketches but for the message it imparts. And there, the story does very well.

Overall, this book would be a good way for children to learn the values of savings, patience and sharing. It also subtly involves mathematics through the counting of jellybeans. The language is suitable for beginner readers but even slightly older children will find value in this book. Recommended to parents, schools and libraries.

4.25 stars

My thanks to Mascot Books and NetGalley for the ARC of “Dash and Nikki and The Jellybean Game”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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It was a really fun read! I read it with my little cousin and she loved it! Would definitely recommend to other kids!

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I wonder if this title is based on the real life marshmallow experiment that rewarded kids for delayed gratification. I was very much reminded of that while reading this title.

Dash and Nikki’s story is told in rhyme. The text is brightly illustrated. Each child is given ten jellybeans with the potential for more. How do Nikki and Dash approach their beans and what will happen to each?

This is a story with a moral although the author is not too heavy handed. If, as an adult, you want to teach your children the value of waiting for something and/or the lesson of generosity, give this title a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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3.8 Stars

The book is written in rhyming verse and has sweet illustrations about a brother and sister who have to play a fun game to earn jellybeans.
While the verse as such wasn’t gripping, the concept was. The book isn’t limited to teaching kids about sharing. It talks of being patient, planning, and knowing how to win. There’s a bit of subtle financial advice for kids about saving.
That said, parents/ teachers will have to explain it to the kids and start a discussion. The themes in the book can be interpreted for different aspects, so that’s a win-win situation at the end.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Mascot Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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5 ⭐️ // Dash and Nikki and the Jellybean Game is a story of a brother and sister who wake up to discover a surprise game, and the prize is their favorite treat - jellybeans. They read the instructions together, and the goal is to have as many jellybeans as possible by dinnertime. Each sibling has a different strategy.

This is the first book I’ve read by the author, and I noticed they also offer finance advice for adults is their other book. It is fitting that the lessons from this story include saving and stewardship along with patience, sharing, working together, and avoiding temptation. This book would be a good introduction into finance for kids, and it does not talk about money or currency.

The illustrations were bright and colorful, and they would easily catch any child’s attention. The individuals pictured include a white, nuclear family.

Even though I currently do not have kids, I would purchase this book for my two nieces who are 4 and 9 years old. Also, I would purchase it for my friends who have children.

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