Review: Harry and the Hot Lava by Chris Robertson

Harry and the Hot Lava by Chris Robertson
Publisher: Xist Publishing
Release Date: July 15th, 2014

Harry is a little boy with a big imagination. One day, a simple game of "don't step on the hot lava" turns into a adventure he'll never forget! This children's picture book features the iconic art of Chris Robertson and has fun simple text perfect for beginning readers and story time.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author. This in no way affected my review, nor am I being compensated for it.

The first thing I noticed about this book, aside from the great pictures, was the word choice. It's great for children, and it really fits the story. Though the ever changing font was a bit jarring and sometimes unnecessary (in my opinion), it was a huge hindrance.

The ending was incredibly abrupt and felt a bit awkward. I think that was sort of the purpose, but I think it probably could have been done better. I have to say though, the last page of the story was awesome. I absolutely loved that, and I feel like it might stem from Robertson's own adventures and fun times with his son, to whom the book is dedicated.

My favorite aspect of the book would have to be how it made me remember the fun times I had as a child playing "Lava." While that version was a bit different from the one in this story, it was nice to reminisce about those times. To be honest, I didn't even think that kids these days played "Lava" anymore because I see so many of them with cell phones/smart phones already (what?!), so this was a nice way to see that there are some children out there that do still have extremely active imaginations and are learning to play without technology and only with what they have around them.

Another great picture book from Chris Robertson--one that's sure not to disappoint.