Review of The Legend of the Chocolate River

[Esther-David]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Legend of the Chocolate River" by Coco LaBon.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Legend of the Chocolate River, by Coco LaBon, is a fun and entertaining children's book with a good message. Each page is illustrated beautifully by Raymond W. Faison.

The book follows baby elephant Manda as he embarks on a treacherous journey with his friend, Mr. Crowley the frog. Mr. Crowley has been alive for a long time. He serves as both a mentor and friend to Manda. The story tracks Manda and Mr. Crowley through their exploits on a sunny day. Manda is determined to find the fabled Chocolate River. To get there, the duo must cross the dangerous Skeleton River and make it past the menacing crocodiles.

Each page has 1–2 paragraphs of text along with an illustration. The colors are beautifully vibrant. The book is engaging, well-structured, and uses appropriate language for its audience. 

The text and illustrations feel very whimsical. I smiled a lot while reading! 

In the end, Manda learns an important lesson. His family makes an appearance, and he learns he should not travel without them. I feel like this lesson was a bit rushed. It appears on the last couple of pages. I think it would have been more impactful to hint at it in the beginning. For example, when Manda and Mr. Crowley decide to go on their journey, there could have been a couple lines mentioning Manda's family. Mr. Crowley, seeing as he gives lots of sage advice, could have talked to Manda about asking Manda's family for permission or letting them know where they were going. This would plant a seed in a child reader's mind about the lesson, and it would be good foreshadowing for the end. The rushed lesson is not a flaw to me and did not hinder my reading experience; this is just a suggestion.

Overall, this was a fun read! It was well edited; I did not spot any errors. I would strongly recommend this to parents for children ages 4–7. The book can be read out loud with silly voices and sounds to characterize Mr. Crowley and Manda! There is no aspect I dislike. I rate this book five out of five stars.

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The Legend of the Chocolate River
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Blueberry Dragon]

Thanks for your insightful review, @E David. I particularly loved that you were able to come up with a workable suggestion to improve the reading experience.

[Mary John 10]

The book follows baby elephant Manda and his wise friend, Mr. Crowley the frog, on an adventurous journey. Manda, determined to find the fabled Chocolate River, must navigate the dangerous Skeleton River and outsmart menacing crocodiles. With Mr. Crowley’s guidance, the duo faces various challenges on their sunny-day adventure.