Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
Jonathan Auxier
4.5 Stars

This book is a Junior Fiction chapter book rated for ages 9 - 12 but at 39 years old I genuinely enjoyed this book.

My friend Kobi recommended this to me so a big thank you Kobi. This was a great read.

To begin, the art in this book is amazing. The front cover promises whimsy and magic and the story definitely delivers. The beginning of each chapter is decorated with beautiful illustrations that not only give a glimpse as to what is coming but also reignite the fantastical feel and put a smile on your face.

You dive head on into adventure from the very first page which is so fun and highly engaging and the names of people and places put a smile on my face throughout.

This is a perfect choice for a read aloud book with some great teaching moments throughout. Sir Tode lends himself perfectly to igniting children's imagination. What three animals would they choose and how would they combine their attributes? The possibilities are endless, especially from the minds of children. There is also some great vocab words to explore: tarry, lollygag, troubadour, swashbuckle, dirigible... the list goes on. Not to mention the use of an "unkindness" of ravens which so easily leads to a discussion of uncommon and interesting collective nouns.

Throughout the book there are so many opportunities for cross curricular integration. At one point the concept is raised that the edges of a map are not simply the edges but just the parts that are unexplored. What an idea! and, again, is inspiration for some really creative art activities. There could be discussions of inventions to make fresh drinking water, telescopes and biomes just to name a few.

There is so much in this book to explore but is also perfect to read for pure enjoyment. I am really looking forward to reading some more of Jonathan's books and introducing them to my children. ( )

A very interesting book and very fun! I love this book! ( )

I remembered reading this story once when I was in seventh grade. I remembered it being a fascinating story with interesting characters and a compelling plot. Coming back to it, this book is certainly less interesting as an adult, but it's still filled with interesting characters and a fun story. The only thing I wish would be different is that Peter could put together the riddle a bit faster, but the author does justify it in a way that makes sense.

I did like the way neither the Haberdasher nor Professor Cake turned out to be villains and how there was no loss of trust between Sir Tore and Peter that led to them falling out of friendship. Most books these days feel the need to include ridiculous reasons for conflict and this book didn't feel that need. The ravens were also interesting characters, probably the most interesting, and they had a very interesting shift from beginning to end.

Overall, this was just a well-written book. It's possibly more suited for children than adults but is very good nonetheless. ( )

Hearing this one out of the corner of my ear. 2nd grader finds it exciting but it seems pretty dark.

DNF. Or, more accurately, didn't read it all. I did read the finish.

Auxier very fairly mentions in a note that he borrowed ideas from others. This really isn't much of a crime if you subscribe to the Joseph Campbell theory. The problem is that it shows.

In the first several chapters I got whiffs of Roald Dahl and Dickens(both of whom describe horrific child abuse), Narnia, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. And this would be fine if I was 10 or even 12. Or possibly if I hadn't been excited for something new. Because, just reading the blurb and looking at the cover led me to expect that.. I was mostly disappointed and it tainted my reading of the first few chapters. Perhaps I need to work on my expectations.

To be fair, the author has a nice voice but I'm just not a person who can stomach a Roald Dahl-esque quippy tone about child abuse. Yes, mother, I get now why you dislike Annie and Matilda and James and the Giant Peach.