Ninja on the Farm

October 1, 2016
Moby Shinobi, a young ninja, is eager to use his many skills to help Farmer Bob with his myriad chores.Ready to kick, spin, jab, jump, and run, Moby has good intentions, but his help usually ends in disastrous upheaval on the farm. His flip-and-swipe method of collecting eggs leaves shards and goo all over the coop, along with some very disturbed chickens. Ninja spinning while scooping Pitchfork Petes hay has everyone sneezing. Jumping with pails of slop for the pigs creates a muddy mess in the pen. Seeing the results of his good intentions, Moby laments I did my ninja best you see. / I wish there was a job for me. Colorful digital artwork with an animation aesthetic depicts farm animals and humans alike with oversized oval eyes reflecting the astonishment caused by Mobys actions. Readable rhyming couplets set up the action, which is captured in sequences of one-word action verbs that accompany vignettes that depict the accumulating chaos. For example, in trying to collect eggs, Mobys FLIP! / SWIPE! is followed by the chickens SQUAWK! / CRACK! Readers should laugh along with the antics, empathize with Farmer Bobs dismay, and cheer in the end when Mobys skills finally come in handy. Moby and Farmer Bob are light-skinned; Pitchfork Pete has brown skin. Amusing and accessible. (Early reader. 6-8)

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December 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-Moby Shinobi is a ninja in search of a job and thinks working for Farmer Brown is just the ticket. Unfortunately, Moby has lots of ninja skills but not all of them are needed on the farm. Despite the best of intentions, he seems to wreak mayhem with each chore until the cows get into the corn, and Moby gets to put his ninja skills to good use. This is a great easy reader that illustrates that everyone can be helpful in the right situation. Moby is an adorable ninja with animelike features. The art shows lots of movement and will likely inspire everyone's finest ninja moves. VERDICT Certain to stealthily jump off the shelves into readers' hands, ninja-style.-Melisa Bailey, Harford County Library System, MD

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