Do You Know...: The Mushroom Man by Ethel Pochocki

Welcome back to another exciting week here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!  Loads of stuff going on, just going to mention one or two.....this Thursday we have our very first Virtual Book Blog Tour making this it's home for stop number three on their journey...read a little more about the who and what in the MARK YOUR CALENDER sidebar entry.  Approximately two weeks later, we have another great tour coming through, albeit a different genre of book entirely, but hey, that's why you love the blog, right?  ALSO, sometime during the month (can't say when as it's still in the air at the time this post was written), we are going to have not only a guest post from a popular YA author whose new book is surely one you'll want to add to YOUR "possesions" (*hint*hint*), but an AWESOME giveaway courtesy of this same author!  (YAY!  My first giveaway!  Whoo-HOO!) Oh, and did I mention that it will be open internationally? (Go ahead, jump for joy all of you readers that reside outside of the US and Canada.  I'll wait..... **jeopardy theme music**...done yet?  Good!)  So much to do, so little time, and oh SO MUCH FUN! 

Anywho, let's get back to the post at hand....today's pick came to my attention after winning a contest over at BriMeetsBooks.  You see, the title I won was Travels with Tarra (a wonderful book about an elephant that can roller-skate among other things...I reviewed it during a previous post), one of many picture books published by the folks at Tilbury House, Publishers.  Several of their titles are rather intriguing, however two in particular caught my eye.  Through their wonderful generosity, I was able to receive a copy of both said books (okay, not really "said", I'm going to leave you in suspense on one title, while revealing the other...) and here is post number one!  Today's choice is....

The Mushroom Man
by
Ethel Pochocki

Sorry, I couldn't resist the play on words of the children's song in my blog post title.  (For those that didn't recognize it, I'm referencing the children's classic "Do You Know the Muffin Man?")  It just made me smile thinking of it and since this is actually a children's storybook, it fit perfectly!  (Hey, there...no running off just because it's a storybook...they are not like Trix cereal you know!  Silly rabbits, they're for all ages!  Oops, there I go again with the nostalgic references....back to the book!)

This is the story of the lonely Mushroom Man.  (Okay, so you gathered that much from the title...keep reading...)  He is named as such not only for the work he does (he "mines" for the tasty little fungi in the dark), but his appearance (you may look a bit pasty too if the majority of your awake time was spent bathe only in the moon's soft glow).  Needless to say when one resembles a bulbous headed mushroom with legs, the children in the surrounding community are probably not going to be that kind.  Although accepting of his way of life, he finds himself longing for companionship.  What pet would make a good match for someone with a lifestyle such as his though?  After considering his options and experiencing the fowl taste of losing a friend, one is bestowed upon him in an unthinkable, yet highly appropriate form...a mole!  Now moles and humans are not exactly known for being the best of friends, and this one in particular harbors some ill feelings which are definitely warranted considering his past experience.  Can these two strangers look past the surface to find the warm glow of true friendship within?

Honestly, what caught my eye about this story was the unusual name.  I read it and just had to find out what the story was all about!  After happily reading and shelving my very own copy, I couldn't wait to share this review.  Although the book is short (it is a picture/storybook after all), the message within rings out loud and clear.  You can't judge a book by it's cover just as you can't judge a person solely on the way they look.  How many wonderful friendships would we miss out on if we took everything at face value only? Along with this age old message, readers are also taught a few things along the way in regards to the traits and habits of moles....an unexpected plus!  Last but not least, this being a picture book of sorts, I must make mention to them.  While beautiful in style (almost painting-like) and tone (kept with natural colors), I wasn't a huge fan of some of the full frontal character faces (kind of on the "rough" side...but they do make you wonder what the kids were making fun of when they had their own issues!).

Special thanks to Sarah at Tilbury House, Publishers for the review copy!  (THANK YOU!)  For more information, definitely check out the portion of their site highlighting this delightful tale.

COMMENT CREATOR
It looks like we've stumbled across another one dealing with pets.  If you have pets currently or have had any in the past, I'm sure it would be hard to pick your favorite.  Instead of placing that label on one of them (hey, you might make the others jealous!), I want you to dig within your memory bank and share one of your fondest memories of time spent with them.

For mine...there are so many to choose from...I'd say one of them would just be relaxing with my longest-had (although not eldest) poochie, Brittany.  She would lay across the foot of my bed and we'd watch TV together...me resting my head on her middle.  It was great fun....(only said in the past tense since she prefers the WHOLE bed now.)  =0)

Feel free to leave your comments and feedback!
Until next time...happy reading!