THE SWORD OF SHE-RA by Roger McKenzie and Fred Fredericks

So here’s one that slipped through the cracks on me during the Mammoth Read-Along Masters of the Universe Marathon: 

The Sword of She-Ra is a 1985 Princess of Power children’s book written by Roger McKenzie and illustrated by Fred Fredericks. Here, Prince Adam takes the Sword of Protection into another dimension to find its rightful owner.

This book is, essentially, a severely abridged adaptation of the first half of Filmation’s The Secret of the Sword film. Substantial changes have been made (e.g., they’re rescuing Queen Angella from Beast Island rather than He-Man, and they get there on flying goats) and the story has been rearranged (e.g., they go to Beast Island before Adam ever finds Adora).

Aside from a single page with Hordak and Shadow Weaver, the named Horde villains are nowhere to be found – it’s troopers all the way through. One wonders whether this was done out of consideration for the PoP toyline or the delicate sensibilities of the young female audience.

Fredericks’ art is generally fine. He isn’t much for backgrounds and his male characters look stubby sometimes, but the female characters look good and the pages where he really applies himself are solid. The Horde Trooper are oddly colored, though. But an Earl Norem cover is always worth getting excited about.

The Sword of She-Ra is a passable version of She-Ra’s origin story, and it’s different enough from The Secret of the Sword that it’s worth checking out for that reason alone. Plus, where else are you going to see Cringer on a flying goat (sort of)?

RECOMMENDED

PEACE ON EARTH by Mary Engelbreit

Mary Engelbreit’s Peace on Earth: A Christmas Collection is a 2013 children’s book, her celebration of what she loves about Christmas.

This isn’t a collection of stories—Peace on Earth is comprised of the text of various Christmas hymns, the accounts of the birth of Jesus from Luke and the visit of the magi from Matthew, and numerous poems and short essays from other authors, all with illustrations and borders by Engelbreit.

This latter is, of course, why nearly everyone who picks this book up does so, and Engelbreit’s art is quite good, as you’d expect. Her style is distinct, her colors are warm and vibrant, and, with the exception of the fact that she misspells “magi” in one of her illustrations, everything looks excellent.

But while the art is great, the text is largely unimpressive and uninteresting. The hymns we know already, and many of the poems—nothing else really stands out, and you can read through this book in about five minutes. Neither my wife nor my three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, both of whom are big fans of other Engelbreit works, were particularly impressed with Peace on Earth, although they did enjoy looking at the pictures once or twice.

Peace on Earth is perfectly good if you’re looking for a collection of Engelbreit’s Christmas art. But don’t ask it for any more than that.

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

GODFREY WAS HUNGRY by Sean Danker-Smith

Godfrey Was Hungry is a 2013 children’s book by Sean Danker-Smith. Here, the titular shark sets out to fulfill its titular craving.

Godfrey Was Hungry follows a pretty standard children’s book formula, but Danker-Smith imbues it with a distinctive cleverness in both the writing and the art (the page with the squid being a prime example) that both children and many parents should enjoy. The art is done in a loose magic marker style, and Danker-Smith does a fine job of providing his undersea illustrations with depth.

In all, Godfrey Was Hungry is an impressive first try at a children’s book; my three-year-old loves it.

RECOMMENDED

SAINT GEORGE AND THE DRAGON by Margaret Hodges and Trina Schart Hyman

Saint George and the Dragon is a 1984 children’s book adapted from Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene by Margaret Hodges and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. It received the Caldecott Medal for illustration. Here, the princess Una recruits the Red Cross Knight to battle the dragon that threatens her country.

This is a surprisingly wordy little book, although this is in all likelihood by necessity given the level of faithfulness to the source material (Hodges also includes a couple of lines directly from Spenser). Hodges tells the story with ample description and impressive drama; while this helps make it compelling, the book may be too advanced and too intense for small children who are attracted by its short length and big, colorful pictures (there’s also a not-insignificant amount of blood illustrated).

The unequivocal highlight of this book is Hyman’s art. She has illuminated the pages, using the margins both to supplement the distinctly English setting and for storytelling. Her illustrations are thoroughly wonderful: her characters, faces, her use of color and shading, her sense of setting, her inclusion of native English plants, her attention to detail – they’re all fantastic, and every inch of every page is worthy of attention.

On the whole, Saint George and the Dragon is a very satisfactory telling of the legend, and one of the most gorgeous children’s books you’ll ever find.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

PRISONER IN THE SLIME PIT by John Braden, Pablo Marcos, and Judith Marcos

Prisoner in the Slime Pit is a 1986 Masters of the Universe children’s book written by John Braden and illustrated by Pablo and Judith Marcos. Here, Hordak schemes to trap He-Man in the Slime Pit.

Braden puts Hordak up to some interesting, confusing friendly tactics. This is a nice touch, given that the only real suspense in a book like this concerns whether Hordak will succeed in getting He-Man brainwashed, as in the mini-comic Escape from the Slime Pit, and, if so, how his friends will get him un-brainwashed.

There are some writing nitpicks: Stonedar and Rokkon are indistinguishable from one another personality-wise, and, after some good build-up, the resolution is a little predictable and underwhelming. But on the whole, it’s an entertaining read.

The Marcoses’ art is generally well done. The characters, action scenes, and backgrounds are all very good, and the color and shading are excellent. However, the pile of toys the artists were working from apparently didn’t include a Horde Trooper: while everyone else looks more or less like their action figure counterparts, Hordak is supported by an army of gray goblins in shiny blue armor.

In the end, though, despite a number of relatively minor issues, Prisoner in the Slime Pit is a solid book.

RECOMMENDED

Read it HERE

HE-MAN AND THE LOST DRAGON by John Grant and Robin Davies

He-Man and the Lost Dragon is a 1986 Masters of the Universe children’s book written by John Grant and illustrated by Robin Davies. Here, to create cover for an invasion of Eternia, Hordak attempts to unleash a horde of monsters on Eternia – and gets one benign stegosaurus.

This is an expanded version of the short story “Dragon from the Lost Valley” from Ladybird’s 1985 He-Man and Masters of the Universe collection. Why we’re still hung up on this dinosaur being a “dragon,” I can’t say, but this is a quaint little story, and one that, aside from all Grant’s chronic non-canon telepathy nonsense, would have made a reasonably good cartoon episode, even if the degree of difficulty is on the low side.

Even so, Grant’s attention to detail leaves something to be desired. In Masters of the Universe cartoons and mini-comics, dragons abound, yet the characters here treat it like some mythical creature. And Hordak’s ordnance is ridiculously powerful – why not drop one of those bombs on Castle Grayskull, on Snake Mountain, on the Royal Palace?

Davies concludes his work on Ladybird’s He-Man books with some of his best art. Just as in the contemporary He-Man and the Asteroid of Doom, he does an excellent job duplicating the Filmation style, and his backgrounds are excellent. His use of color and shading is also quite strong.

In the end, in spite of the usual letdowns from Grant, this is a perfectly enjoyable story.

RECOMMENDED

Read it HERE