The Trouble with Time Travel

I love, love, love this book! The story’s message of accepting responsibility for one’s actions is “ timeless” (haha!). The illustrations? Wow! A beautiful component of the story. In the classroom (at any grade), this book can be used for lessons in thematic analysis and/or visual literacy. I look forward to adding this to my collection.

Thank you to Owlkids Books and NetGalley for giving us this opportunity to read this eArc.

I read this with my son and he found it enjoyable because of the time travel. His favorite part was when Max went back to Egypt. I loved the illustrations, it is a gorgeous book. I also love Max's initiative and creativity in building a time machine. She's very clever in fixing the problem presented in the story. This was an enjoyable read!

Can you unmake a mistake is the impetus behind this over the top adventure of one child faced with a regrettable moment. A colorful and vividly illustrated book that brings the reader the the inevitable conclusion. Books like this prepare children for experiences they are likely to face and provide pedagogical tools to make the best decisions on their own.

Super cute story about the perils of time travel. As Max and Boomer travel through time trying to save a vase from being destroyed in the present by destroying it in the past, Max ends up knocking the sphinx's nose off, meets aliens, and learns that sometimes, things are just best left alone. Great science fiction picture book!

Terrific-terrific tale.

The images and language are energetic, the story satisfying, and the twist well set-up.

I read this book aloud to my 16-year-old when she needed a cuddle, and she both predicted the twist and was pleased by it. Which I often use as a measure of how satisfying a story can be. (Also, that a teen + mama can share it speaks well of the inherent fun that isn’t limited to the little ones)

The book is one that can be read in a loop (re-read as soon as it’s finished - if the reader has the patience and interest to do so), which is another good indicator of a quality picture book.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing us with a digital copy.

A rip roaring jaunt through time, The Trouble with Time Travel by Stephen W. Martin and Cornelia Li is a colourful explosion to delight and intrigue the reader.

This review is based on reading the story in a PDF version and I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the actual physical book because I think the story will translate so much better. It’s a really clever and silly concept. A girl breaks her great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother’s vase so she does the only reasonable thing to do: build a time machine to go back and break the vase before it’s saved from a mysterious houseboat sinking.

Stephen W. Martin has a really great time filling the story with many silly elements to capture the reader's attention and appeal to their sense of humour to carry the story. The illustrations by Cornelia Li are stellar, vibrant and eye catching. The designer Alisa Baldwin made some great choices when it comes to the design of the book. I especially love the title font giving the book a very retro but modern feel. This book will just jump right off the bookstore shelves. I would caution against getting an electronic version of this book. If you love it buy the physical copy as the layout and illustrations are much more impactful and easier to understand if you have a physical book to turn and manipulate as the book design changes

Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Max is a gifted inventor who talks time travel like it is easy and normal to build a time machine from scratch. I super enjoyed how much her aptitude for science and technology is a given. She has the logic that time travel will solve everything but learns maybe not. The illustrations were cute, funny, whimsical and detailed. I wish the book had been longer. I'm happy that Max could warn herself from what she learned.

Stephen W. Martin’s The Trouble With Time Travel tells what happens when Max builds a time machine to avoid the consequences of breaking a family heirloom. Cornelia Li’s illustrations provide funny anecdotes to the precocious adventures of a girl and her dog.

The Trouble with Time Travel teaches inferences to young readers. And a houseboat! Not many funny and colorful stories show a houseboat as a type of home.