If I Had a Gryphon

Very fun and engaging read for children.  The illustrations are humorous, detailed, and  show the upsides and hilarious downsides of having various mythological creatures as pets.

I read all children’s books I review with my six year old. I figure there is no better way to judge of whether kids will like a book than reading them with kids themselves. The book is written by Vikki Vansickle and illustrated by Cale Atkinson. It is going to be released on February 9, 2016.

It’s a cute, short read about wishing for fantastical animals. I thought it would mainly be about a griffon, but it includes all types of animals. I loved that it had my daughter asking what a kraken and chupacabra were. I think this is a great way to get kids introduced to some classic mythical creatures without being overly complex, and the cute illustrations don’t hurt either. Since it’s a short book, this review is short, but I definitely recommend this if you’re a geeky parent like me who likes excuses to get your kids reading about stuff you like too.

I think this would be a great choice for a kid, or for a gift to a friend’s kid with a big imagination. I hope my daughter’s library picks it up. When we closed the book, my daughter was already asking to read it again. It’s available for preorder on Amazon here: If I Had A Griffon.

If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki VanSickle

This is a child's rhyme about a little girl who had a hamster, but wanted a more exciting pet. The story flows from one mythical creature to the next, until she decides which one is the best pet.

I loved this book! The illustrations were fantastic and the flow of the rhyme would make any child want to turn the page. This is probably a book that will instigate a million "What's that?" questions, so be prepared to trot out your knowledge of mythical creatures, parents! The copy I downloaded had some serious format issues because the text ran together in places and misaligned in others. I'm assuming this will be corrected before publication. I would definitely buy this for my children!

This book was HYSTERICAL with awesome illustrations. I can't wait to start reading it to the kids I work with! I can use it with a therapeutic twist after all! (Think about the consequences before making a big decision, and even if you can't have something you really, really want, it's not life ending, and the results can still be okay)!. I am so excited to use this story! It also appeals to my "weird" side, as I love fantasy, and don't always think "inside of a box."

I adored this book! Lovely rhyming coupled with gorgeous pictures. I'd buy this in a heartbeat!

Sam receives a hamster as a pet, and all it does is sleep, eat, hide and get his shavings wet. Poor Sam. She is  watching and waiting for it to do something, anything  with her face propped on her hands. The next illustration shows her reading a book of mythological animals. From that point on, her imagination soars and she daydreams about what it would be like to have one of those creatures as a pet instead of her boring hamster.

The book is filled with wondrous illustrations of mythological creatures, and the story is told with rhyming words. This book is one children will be sure to love (Adults too!)  as it  brings a bit of magic to life.

I highly recommend this it.

Little lady, don't you fret, a hamster isn't a boring pet to get... or is it? Sam opens her book, Mythological Creatures and takes herself on a journey exploring the pros and cons of owning one of these (not so suitable) creatures instead. Author Vikki VanSickle uses cute and quirky rhyming text to make this an upbeat, fun read. Cale Atkinson does a phenomenal job on the illustrations/animations! Atkinson beautifully portrays Sam's range of emotions as she's gets deeper and deeper into her list of mythological creatures. This book is a great early introductory to mythical creatures as children will be able to discriminate physical characteristics of domestic animals and blend these features with other animals thus creating a sense of mythology. A marketing plan/educators guide is featured with this  work and it is absolutely fabulous, I can already think of so many great mini lessons in my head! Students and teachers will enjoy tapping into their imagination and diving into this story.

loved this one! Would be a cute and fun read aloud. I can imagine all of the awesome lessons to teach alongside!