Bogo’s Revenge
Written by Dan Marvin
Illustrated by Cassie Marvin
Copyright © 2008
Lulu.com
$13.15 Paperback
$ 6.25 E-Book
12 pages
I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t Dan Marvin one of the reviewers for the LL Book Review? Of course his book is going to be reviewed. It’s an obligation isn’t it? To answer those unasked questions: Yes, Dan is one of my fellow reviewers and No, there is no obligation. We review the books which interest us based on where we are at the time. That being said because we’ve built up a relationship as reviewers we are interested in each others work. I’ve been waiting all year for Dan to finally post his review request for Bogo’s Revenge. Late last year, when I knew Dan was going to join the LL Book Review team as a reviewer, I took the opportunity to check out his writing and noticed Bogo’s Revenge right off the bat.
What made this book so appealing to me? The illustrator. I enjoy children’s books, especially because of the illustrations. When I saw Bogo’s Revenge was a joint father/daughter project where Dan wrote the book and had his nine year old daughter, Cassie, illustrate it I loved it. What a wonderful dad!
Dan Marvin is well suited to writing childrens books because he’s had plenty of practice with brevity through his love of flash fiction, which brought us the growing in popularity, Briefs for the Reading Room which was featured in Review 52 for LLBR. Marvin’s ability to get to the crux of the story without leaving the reader wanting more works well in this tale.
In Bogo’s Revenge, Bogo is a chipmunk who is continually harrassed by two racoons, the Rascal brothers. All Bogo wants to do is get to his favorite sunny spot so he could eat his fill of seeds in peace, but the Rascal brothers thwarted him at every turn. So, Bogo decided he needed a plan.
Bogo wished he had a big dog for a friend. Raccoons didn’t like dogs, and dogs didn’t like raccoons, always it had been this way. But Bogo didn’t have a dog for a friend, or any large animal that would make the Rascal brothers leave him alone.
Bogo ultimately comes up with a plan to lead the Rascal brothers away from his precious seeds on a merry chase through the brambles. The Rascal brothers get into trouble and its up to Bogo to help them out.
Bogo’s Revenge is a good old-fashioned story which teaches us that the best revenge against bullies is to do them a kindness. The delightful illustrations help bring the characters to life and it is a story which can be enjoyed by children and parents together.
Preview Bogo’s Revenge at Lulu
Children who like to read and write give POD a breath of fresh air. Imagine getting a book in the mail with their name on the cover or their drawings inside! The book also makes a nice personal birthday or holiday gift for Mom or Grandma.
Kudos to Dan and Cassie for sharing in this moment with each other and for sharing their book with us!
LK, thanks for the kind words about ‘Bogo.’ You’re exactly right, my daughter was thrilled to be able to give her work to the grandparents, to show it around at school for show and tell, and she’s excited to do the next one. The story actually was just one we stole from ‘Briefs’ and expanded into a children’s book. It’s supposed to appear on the syndicated “Krysta’s Kingdom” TV program later this year, I’ll let you know when I have more details.