Book Title: Heave Ho!
Author: José Lucio
Summary
Heave Ho! is a children’s book about teamwork and outside-the-box thinking. When a cheerful little worm pops his head up above ground, he is surprised and grabbed by a hungry bird. The worm must get help from his other worm friends, but the bird has help too…which leads to an intense tug-of-war battle. The battle goes on until the worms are losing ground no matter how hard they try, which leads one worm to come up with a new idea!
Reflection
When I was asked to review this book by the author himself, I was thrilled! I was immediately drawn to the concept and overall message of the book from the brief summary he sent me.
The kids really seemed to enjoy this story and they loved playing with the little worm stickers that were included. They had fun counting the number of worms each time a new one joined in on the tug-of-war battle between the worms vs. all of the other animals. The kids also laughed out loud when the fifth worm came up with an idea to end the tug-of-war that sent all of the animals flying into the air.
The text is simple enough for my two-year old daughter to read on her own from start to finish. The kids love saying the phrase, “Heave Ho!” each time it’s repeated throughout the book.
The illustrations are simple and wonderful, especially the expressions on the animals’ faces. You can really tell what they are feeling and thinking throughout the story. The question marks and the light bulb illustrations add a bit of suspense to the book and serve as excellent prompts to ask children what they think is going to happen next before turning each page.
This book is durable and printed on quality semi-gloss card stock paper, which is perfect for younger readers who may be prone to ripping book pages.
Overall, I believe this makes for a good read aloud book for smaller children ages 1 – 6 years old. They will learn about topics like: teamwork, problem-solving, friendship, outside-the-box thinking, persistence, feelings and helping.
For more information about the book or author please visit http://www.joselucio.com.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Your turn: Did you enjoy this review? Have you read this book to your little ones yet? Feel free to share in the comments.
