Tag Valentina Mendicino

The tragic tale of Dwayne The Eating Monster

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The Tragic Tale of Dwayne the Eating Monster
Valentina Mendicino
Top That Publishing
Meet Dwayne – total food addict with no other interests apart from the assimilation of all manner of items from his fridge. Fine thus far – or maybe not so fine, judging by his already rotund appearance but things get even less fine when Dwayne decides to tickle his taste buds with some new fodder such as …

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which needless to say gets him into the neighbours’ bad books.
Dwayne’s insatiable appetite means that he’s ever expanding his girth to the point where he has outgrown his bed, is unable to reach to tie his shoelaces, cannot sit as his desk in school, nor play hide-and-seek or ride his bike, and eventually, squeeze through his own front door. Hmm!

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Any self-respecting person or monster would surely be taking him or herself in hand by this time; but Dwayne? Not on your life. He still carries on stuffing himself and getting larger and … but equally so do the things he wants to consume …

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Until finally, he’s eaten himself out of house and home, the planet, the … hang on;

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is he about to meet his cum uppance here?
This funny cautionary tale for foodies and others is bound to tickle the taste buds of young listeners and, once they’ve listened to the story a couple of times, developing readers. The whole thing is inviting, not least the three dimensional-looking characters and those flaps. I can well imagine children in an early years setting being inspired to create their very own ‘Dwayneiverse’ from soft modeling materials and inventing their own stories around it.

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Milo & Mucky: In Need of A Friend

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The Really Abominable Snowman
Valentina Mendicino
Walker Books
In a high Himalayan cave resides a smallish creature, with a terrible reputation. Milo, for that is the name his mother calls him, spends his time making things, cleaning, bathing and eating, not children but his favourite cherry cupcakes. Sad and lonely, he longs for a friend to share those cupcakes with. Time for a change, he decides. A makeover perhaps?

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Maybe not.
Social media? His tweets are a resounding failure and his foray into Facebook is sadly, a hilarious (for readers) case of misunderstanding.

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Undaunted Milo keeps trying until he comes across an announcement in the paper…
Surely that must be the answer but …
He’s even misunderstood by the Society of Misunderstood Creatures.

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Seemingly Milo is to remain friendless and lonely for ever? But wait; who is that bidding him ‘hello’?

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Could it be that longed for soul mate? Without wanting to spoil the ending, suffice it to say, it’s a victory for the power of cupcakes, and perseverance of course.
Valentina Mendicino’s 3D style, subtly coloured, digitally rendered illustrations convey Milo’s changing feeling and emotions (and those of the minor characters) humorously and touchingly. And there are plenty of amusing domestic details in this unusual story with misunderstandings aplenty, that has at its heart, a search for friendship and happiness. Delicious endpapers too. All in all, a tasty debut.
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Also on the theme of friendship is

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I Wish I’d Been Born a Unicorn
Rachel Lyon and Andrea Ringli
Maverick Arts Publishing
Mucky the horse has become somewhat malodorous on account of his dirty habits so the other animals avoid him. If only I’d been a unicorn, he wishes, then others might like me more. His wish is overheard by Owl who sagely tells him that true friends are concerned with feelings, not looks. He offers to help nonetheless and flies off to find the resources to make Mucky into a unicorn. The cows give him milk for the whiteness, which Frog obligingly churns, then he heads off to the beach in search of a pointy shell to serve as the horn. After a night’s work, Mucky has been transformed and is presented to his would-be friends.

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All appears to be going well until a big black cloud appears overhead. Oh-oh …
Will the other animals think less of him without his milky white coat or will Mucky realize that friendship awaits right under his brown nose?
Told in jaunty rhyme, the delightfully expressive, digitally rendered illustrations add much to this story. Those flies hovering around the whiffy Mucky are just one example of the visual humour

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and I love the idea of Frog churning the milk by swimming around in it.
Find and buy from your local bookshop: http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

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