Candy and the Cankersaur by Jason Sandberg

Hi there!

Welcome back to the place that likes a little bit of this and a little bit of that...literarily speaking of course, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

So this week, we've covered everything from Young Adult to Fiction to book chats and now....now we're stepping back to familiar territory with a Children's ebook that will delight girls and boys of all ages.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Ah, but reread that last sentence, well...the one before the last one.  See?  I said girls AND boys.  It's harder to accomplish than you think sometimes but when you consider the subject of today's selection combined with the lead character, the answer is clear as day....and LOADS of fun.  Ready, set, read!  Today's ebook of choice is...

Candy and the Cankersaur

by

Jason Sandberg

978-0-615-65579-6

First off...confession time.  I admit it.  When I first saw the cover, I was definitely enchanted, but the title despite the illustrations that accompanied it, had me thinking this one was going to be a lesson on dental health for children.  Oh come on, think about it!  Her name is "Candy" and there's a "Canker"-saurus....see what I mean?  Upon reading it, I had to borrow a line from the movie Wizard of Oz....Bust my buttons!  It wasn't about dental hygiene at all but rather a fun and touching story about just what children really need....attention, not things.

Candy is a sweet girl (hehe) who has everything her little heart desires, except time with her uber busy father.  He sees her need but alas, instead of giving more of his own time, gets her a friend to play with....namely a Cankersaurus Rex.  Wait a second...I thought dinosaurs were extinct?  Yeah, you and me and everyone else in the story BOTH and yet here is is in all his toothy grin, and green skinned glory. The neighbor boy Chucky will have none of it, it being her having fun and showing him up and so demands a pet of his own.  Request denied, he sets out to do something one step more devilish, unleashing a chain of events that will have everyone growing by story's end...including readers.

Aside from the quirky three part (or more) names given to the characters and the morality of the story, the illustrations are what will really capture your attention.  Candy and her happy or sad faces, Chucky with his I'm-better-than-you glances and of course our Cankersaurus Rex baring his teeth in a toothy grin while trying to learn the first rule....no biting.  *-*  With teeth like that, DEFINITELY a good first rule to have.  Little ones will easily follow the colorful pages as the story progresses while those readers that are a little bit older will appreciate the various textures used throughout each spread.  You can see the roughness of the brick wall that separates the neighbors houses, the crispness of the butlers uniform and even the scaly nature of her new friend's form.

All in all, a fun read from ecover to ecover and one I'm certain will be embraced by readers of all ages for many years to come.  After all, it's not often you get to combine all the elements already mentioned with a (non extinct) dinosaur, a little girl as sweet as Candy, a boy as devilish (yet charming) as Chucky and a lesson in right and wrong that doesn't feel like a lesson at all yet still gets the point delivered crystal clear.  So come on  in and join the fun!  You're in for a DINO-mite time if I do say so myself...and I think Candy would DEFINITELY agree.

Author Jason Sandberg

Ebook for review courtesy of author/illustrator Jason Sandberg.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as his other works and those in progress, be sure to check out his official site, friend him on Pinterest, like him on Facebook or follow along on Twitter!  This ebook is available now so be on the look out for it at an online retailer of your choosing.  Need a few pointers?  Wish granted....Amazon, iTunes, Nook, Kobo.

Until next time....happy reading!