Children’s books that feature animals are in abundance, but ones that feature dogs are a particular favourite with young readers. They often feature themes of friendship, loyalty, courage and plenty of adventure. And The Adventures of Eli and Olive: The Mystery at Bone Rock by Sean Borg has all these qualities and will appeal to young readers with its canine characters, mystery and adventure.
The Adventures of Eli and Olive: The Mystery at Bone Rock is the first book in the new Eli and Olive series. It features two small and lovable Japanese Chins, Eli and Olive, who live in sunny Palm Springs, California, USA (beloved real dogs that were owned by the author) and the magical adventure that they find themselves in.
At the centre of the story are best friends Eli and Olive, two delightful Japanese Chins. One day when out in the dog park, Eli finds a mysterious paw print on a giant concrete bone, known as Bone Rock. It calls to him with glowing light and hums, after touching his paw to it they are transported on a magical colourful sparkly slide to a new land, the Kingdom of Talking Dogs and its capital, the City of Lost Bones. Greeted by talking dogs of all breeds from all over the world, they are quickly informed that the city needs help as it is under threat from an evil coyote. Eli, Olive and their new friends set out on an adventure to stop the coyote and restore the magical order back to this new found land.
Overall, The Adventures of Eli and Olive: The Mystery at Bone Rock is a delightful picture book for children that has magic, adventure and dogs, featuring themes of friendship and loyalty. Eli and Olive are the best of friends and its that friendship that drives the story into a delightfully fun tale.
From the start of the story, young readers are greeted with two lovable dogs, the best of friends and the mystery and magic of Bone Rock, helping to spark curiosity and engagement in the story. The dogs are soon embroiled in an adventure that has it heroes and villains and these relationships demonstrates the importance of trust, loyalty, and working together when faced with challenges.
The story is fun, with lots of dogs, colourful portals, magical realms, good versus evil and new friendships. The language used is easy to understand by its young readers and I love that the font used is quite large, making it easier to see and read.
The Illustrations are colourful and portray the events in the events in the story easily.
The Adventures of Eli and Olive: The Mystery at Bone Rock is a charming and entertaining read for young page turners. It will delight young animal lovers and adventure enthusiasts alike. It does a great job of celebrating friendship, curiosity and courage while delivering an enjoyable mystery that keeps readers engaged and interested from beginning to end. It has some excellent characters including the stars of the book and Atticus, the Keeper of the Heart Bone, and the coyotes do look evil and slightly scary (gives the story some good tension).
A fun doggy adventure although I would have liked to see just a bit more action, but this is just the start of the Eli and Olive’s adventures so there will be more action and adventure to come.
Rating: 4/5
RRP: £24.99 (Hardcover) / £11.99 (Paperback) / £4.99 (Kindle)
For more information, visit eliandolivebooks.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
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