Workman Publishing was kind enough to send my family a copy of Mike Lowery’s newest Doodle Adventures: The Rise of the Rusty Robo-Cat! for review and we couldn’t have been happier to find it on our porch, crack it open, and doodle like heck. The kids absolutely adore this interactive series, giggling at Carl the grumpy duck, competing (in friendly fashion, of course) to see who can draw the most outlandish illustrations, and taking great satisfaction in their contributions to the story. As a parent, and a writer, I love the level of engagement they find in the Doodle Adventures and the ways in which it teaches them about storytelling and character development.
Most importantly, however, I love that these books are something the three of us explore together. Izzy is finishing up first grade in a few weeks and Zora will start kindergarten in the fall. I work full time and write which means our time together is about to be very much at a premium and it’s so nice to have something for us to come together around, something for which we’re all willing to put aside distractions, and enjoy as a mother-child unit. And no, the books having been scribbled in doesn’t stop the smaller-folk from wanting to go back through with me to re-read, and re-doodle, multiple times. The Doodle Adventures have pride of place on our downstairs bookshelf which is otherwise mostly comics and Star Wars related; that the Doodle Adventures have reserved spots should tell you how important they are to us.
I really can’t recommend the Doodle Adventures, including this newest volume, Rise of the Rusty Robot-Cat! highly enough. Perfect for a summer birthday gift, a travel distraction, or for gathering out on the porch (or, in my case, around the air conditioning) and enjoying a warm evening together.
The kids also had thoughts (Apologies for the random potty talk incidents. It’s a thing right now).
