Reviewed by Susan van der Walt for Readers' Favorite
The Hop-About tells the story of three wawa (stuffed toy) friends living in New York City. Mr. Rabbit, Benny the Bunny, and Dr. Ursa. They enjoy the small pleasures of life and spend a quiet time each day with creative activities. Mr. Rabbit loves painting, Benny writes mysteries, and Dr. Ursa – well, he looks after his patients. One day the arrival of an old friend, Custerd the cat, disrupts their ordinary life. He convinces Benny to help him search for an old friend, Rogo the lion, who went missing twenty-five years ago. Soon the friends and found themselves on the long flight to Australia. Their search took them from the University to Sydney where Rogo disappeared, through the outback of Australia, to Wolf’s fortress, and back to their childhood home.
Author Colin Krainin uses this journey to show us the importance of love and friendship. Love lets us come alive the way a stuffed toy only becomes a wawa (awake) after a human child has loved them for many years. Mr. Rabbit and Benny the Bunny enjoy the simple pleasure of living their lives together, and their love and friendship give them the courage to face and overcome danger. I adore the simple line sketches by Joan Platek Krainin at the beginning of each story, illustrating the highlight of that chapter. You can’t fail to love the characters, each with unique personalities. We can all learn from the wawas about mindfulness, getting joy from focusing without distraction on everything we do. The adventures of the wawas is an intriguing story for readers from nine to twelve.
Please also read my review of Geo, a crystal, and the thrilling adventure he has with his friends.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I really appreciated reading your summary and thoughts. I’m so glad you enjoyed the book!
Reviews for Readers' Favourite are written in American English.
Hi! I am Susan
Welcome to my adventure
Why Read or Rot?
I have started reading at the age of four. I can remember how I often read under the covers with a flashlight when I was supposed to sleep.
During my early school years, we visited the library once a week. I couldn’t pick out my new book fast enough! By the end of the period, I would have finished it already, leaving me with nothing to read for the rest of the week!
Growing up, Fridays was the highlight of my week. Dad would pack the whole family into the car, and off we go! You guessed right – to the library! We were a family of readers.
In my adult years, I’ve developed a variety of interests like technology, photography, gardening and even writing. But reading was and will always be a part of my life!
Reading for me is like breathing. If I cannot read, my soul will quietly rot away…