When I was growing up my favourite book was Clifford the Big Red Dog- the one about the Big Red Dog who always had amazing adventures. I also really loved Winnie the Pooh, so I thought that this book by Gwyneth Jane Page entitled The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse would be a great book for me to review.
Title: The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse
Author: Gwyneth Jane Page
Format: Paperback, 72 pages; 60 pages
Publisher: Self-Published
Source: Received from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis
The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse – in Canada
PJ Mouse, an adorable little stuffed animal, was lost and alone until young Emily heard his cries for help. Now, along with his new family, PJ gets to travel the world-discovering exciting new places and people along the way! Come join PJ on his first adventure across Canada as he hikes on a glacier in the Rockies, finds a salt lake in the prairies, and walks on the ocean floor in Nova Scotia.
The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse – in Queensland
PJ Mouse, an adorable little stuffed animal, was lost and alone until young Emily heard his cries for help. Now, along with his new family, PJ gets to travel the world – discovering exciting new places, people, and animals along the way! Come join PJ on this, his second adventure, along the coast of Queensland, as he snorkels at the Great Barrier Reef, chats with a Loggerhead turtle in the midst of a great undertaking, and explores the tropical rainforest- until he has to be rescued by one of the local friendly wildlife.
About the Author and Illustrator
Gwyneth Jane Page (Jane), who holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University, has called many countries home. She grew up in such places as England, Peru, the USA, and the Caribbean, and has also lived in Australia and Canada. She now resides in Victoria, BC with her husband and four children. The PJ Mouse books are based on Jane’s family trips with the real stuffed animal, PJ, who was found by Emily, Jane’s youngest daughter.
Megan Elizabeth, Jane’s second oldest daughter, has lived in Canada and Australia and travelled extensively with her family and PJ. Having been artistic since she was a little girl, illustrating the PJ Mouse books has enabled her to combine her love of travel with her love of art. Megan completed her studies at VanArts and is now building her career as a professional photographer as well as an illustrator. She currently resides in Victoria, BC with her family.
Connect with the author: Website Twitter Facebook
Interview with Gwyneth
What books do you currently have published?
Currently I have published The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse – In Canada, The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse – In Queensland, and my newest book The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse – In a Small Corner of England.
The manuscript for The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse – In New Zealand is complete but we have not yet started the artwork. I hope to publish the book sometime toward the middle of next year.
I have just started a manuscript for The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse – In Italy.
What made you create PJ Mouse, the stuffed animal as well?
I thought that if kids could have their own PJ Mouse they would be more keen to read. The books are then about their stuffed animal that they can curl up with as they read before going to sleep.
What else have you made?
Kids can also get PJ Mouse’s passport and stickers. The passport is a sticker book that is done in the format of a passport. Each chapter in a book is a different place, so after learning about a place the kids can put their sticker (stamp) in the passport.
I have also recently come up with what I call the Bedtime Bundle. It includes a book, PJ Mouse, the passport and stickers plus a mug with hot chocolate and jammies. The idea is that kids can curl up with their mouse and book and cup of hot chocolate, in their jammies, and read before bedtime. The jammies are embossed with the PJ Mouse logo and in PJ’s ‘writing’ they say PJ Mouse’s little explorer. I have them for a variety of ages from newborn to 10 years old and in a variety of styles.
What made you write the books?
I love exploring the world. It is an amazing place with lots of wonderful things to see and do. I had so many people over the years tell me that they did not want to go to Australia because of snakes and spiders and I thought this very sad as Australia is beautiful….it may have snakes and spiders, but I hardly saw any and never had any dangerous encounters with either. You are more likely to be in a car accident on your way to work. So I thought this an irrational fear and people were missing out on life because of having an irrational fear. I wanted to try to teach kids a bit about the world so that they would be curious, want to explore and not live their lives with irrational fears.
I also wanted to make children aware of some of our endangered places and species so they learn to care for them as they get older. These are mentioned in the books. I did not want to preach at kids, I wanted them to want to care for these animals and places, so it is very subtle in the books but still brings awareness to the issues.
My Review
These books were so adorable I cannot wait to read them with my new baby (coming in January 2016!) The story line in both of the books were really cute and really show kids how they should care for animals and the environment. I myself wanted my own PJ Mouse… I guess my dog Skittle will have to do for the time being 😉
The illustrations were amazing. They were hand drawn by the author’s second oldest daughter and they are so adorable. I wish I had that kind of talent.
I think that children and adults alike will fall in love with PJ and will want to see where his adventures take him. I know I fell in love with him and want to see where his adventures take him in the future.
Overall, I give these books:
4.5 out of 5 Hippos
Thank you to
for allowing me to participate on this tour.
Book Loving Hippo 