Cover Image: The Tale of Santiago The Strong Bull

The Tale of Santiago The Strong Bull

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Member Reviews

This book is a great addition to The Zodiac Tales. It's a fast fun read with beautiful illustrations that makes it a wonderful read.
I received a complimentary copy from Independently Published via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The second book in an ambitiously long series, with one volume for each of the 12 Zodiac signs. Even for the short form of a picture book, quite a feat.

While the idea of the series is interesting and likely to attract the more mystically-inclined Milennial parent, the execution of this book does stumble a few times. Nothing so bad as to create a plot hole or make the book unreadable, but I did stumble while reading

At one point, we are in the middle of a sort of training montage, with the narrator talking about how determined Santiago is to fulfill a goal, in spite of the ridicule of the local townspeople. And the next page, it's just Santiago eating some grass, and narration about how Santiago loved routines. Given that the bull is in the middle of doing something so out-of-the-norm as treasure hunting, a break to discuss firm habits is odd, and doesn't support the building of narrative excitement.

There is also an odd page where we are told that Santiago "came across one last cave," but the illustration shows that the bull is overhearing the townspeople discussing this cave, which the bull will THEN go find. The narration is not matching the visuals, and in a rather obvious way.

A pity, as the illustrations by Mousam Banerjee are charming. Santiago is sleek and appealing, obviously strong, but not portrayed with the machismo and bulging muscles we often see on cartoon bulls. Each page has a fully-detailed environment and background, which is a laudable level of detail for a picture book.

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This is a really neat picture book about the zodiac sign Taurus, and is the second instalment of the Zodiac Tales series. It tells the story of a stubborn bull named Santiago who works hard and once he sets his mind to something he is very determined to make it happen, which are personality traits attributed to Tauruses. The story brings in some elements of greek mythology as well as the ideas related to the zodiacs while telling a fun story for kids about a ram who never gives up. As a grade 3 teacher (and a lover of astrology) I would definitely choose this book for my classroom library. It is a fun story that can also teach about a belief system and Greek culture and history. I would recommend this book to teachers and families of children in the 5-10 age range. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book! I also look forward to checking out the future books in this series soon!

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Greek mythology! The zodiac in astronomy! Perseverance and bullish determination! Sounded good to me, and it is! Santiago is a young bull who lives in Spain. He hears about a treasure kept in a guarded cave and determines to make himself even stronger and search every cave until he finds the very one. His very determination to follow through on his plan is shown as a characteristic of his belonging to the sign of Taurus the Bull in the zodiac of mythology and the stars of the night sky. Excellent!
The colorfully simple illustrations are contributed by graphic artist Mousam Banerjee.
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Independent Publisher/IBPA via NetGalley. Thank you!

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This is book 2 in the book series about a headstrong strong bull who believes he can do anything. This is a book series about the zodiac signs and this one focused on Taurus. This book will remind you to be brave , to believe in yourself and what you stand for. I recommend this book to everyone and the illustrations are awesome.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

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The Tale of Santiago the Strong Bull is a book about the zodiac sign Taurus. It is described through the story of Santiago, a stubborn bull in Spain, who goes on an adventure to find lost treasure. The illustrations were very well done, and I loved all the different steps Santiago had to take to find the gold. I liked the riddle as well. A very cool look for your favorite Taurus!

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A clever way of showing the basic characteristics of someone who's zodiac sign is Taurus. The story is meant well and depicts exactly the characteristics described towards the end of the storybook.

The illustrations are amazing and so well done.

Love the cover. Love the facial expressions of the character. Indeed felt like watching a short animation!

Thank you, authors, for the advance review copy.

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What a fun, unique and cute way to teach kids about zodiac signs and their meanings. I am not a Taurus but I love learning more about this sign and this is such a cute story!

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