Storybook Favorites

While I looked through the storybook list the first one to catch my attention was titled "Jungle Tiger Stories." Before I read the introduction I expected these stories to have a tiger as the main character but I was surprised when it was actually about an old monkey named Virgil, and a young boy. Throughout the chapters the monkey tries to return the boy back to his family, but he knows he will die (the monkey) by the end of the journey. As a result he tries to teach the boy life lessons (through stories about various tigers) and embark on one final adventure. 

(This is an image the author of "Jungle Tiger Stories" used on their webpage, Source) 

Overall, I enjoyed the story quite a bit and I thought that the author did a great job of keeping the audience’s attention. Their writing style also flowed easily and made sense. I especially liked their approach in having the original stories told through the monkey. 

The next story I enjoyed was "The Trickster of OU." I think this originally caught my eye because I wanted to know what exactly this “trickster” on campus was doing to mess with people. I thought that maybe it would be about a kid joking around with a few people in class, but I was surprised again when the pranks effected the whole school. 

I think I liked this story because I was familiar with all the places mentioned, and also different issues such as parking. It also was fun because as a result of the pranks the whole school became engulfed in chaos. Along with this, I enjoyed how the dialog was done and also how the author took inspiration from such different sources. One of the chapters was based on a story about Loki from Norse mythology, and another was from Puss in Boots. 

The last story is called "A Dog's Afterlife" and it is about a dog named Rufus who decides to leave his home behind and go on a “vacation” to find what else the world has to offer. However, he is then transported to Purgatory, Hell, and Paradise where he begins to realize how good he had it back home. (Coincidentally, he is guided by another character named Virgil) Rufus believes that he died, but ends up waking up in the real-world again and as a result he is more appreciative of his normal life. 

I like this story because I can relate to Rufus. Sometimes I don’t realize all the good things happening in my life, and that I could actually be in a worse situation.