Picks For Kids: The Ark, The Reed, and the Fire Cloud by Jenny L. Cote

Hey, everybody! Welcome to the first post in a new segment here called Picks For Kids. Within the time that I've been doing this blog, most of the literature I've talked about has been YA. So it's come to my attention that now would be a good time to review some good children's or middle grade stories. And thus Picks For Kids was born!

There's nothing quite like the gift of good books, and there is great reward when you share the gift of reading with children. It can bring joy to kids of all ages and take them to worlds they never dreamed of. And that's the goal with this new segment: To find great stories for people to share with young ones.

So without further ado, let me talk about a cute and fun adventure story: The Ark, The Reed, and the Fire Cloud by Jenny L. Cote!

What's The Story?

A Scottish terrier named Max is taking his usual trot around the lake when he hears a voice calling from the reeds, urging him to "follow the fire cloud". Leaving is homeland of Scotland and diving into the unknown world, he encounters some new friends, including a black cat from France named Liz. Soon the two discover that they are in fact the leaders for their group, as well as leaders for an entire ark.

Meanwhile, Noah and his family have been mocked and ridiculed for the last hundred years as they built The Ark. Now they must witness in front of them the destruction of the world they knew.

After Max and Liz board the ark with the rest of the animals, the voyage on board begins. But as they try to find ways to keep the animals entertained, a new plot begins to unfold. Now with someone (or something) out to harm Noah and his family, Max and Liz must uncover the clues and try to foil the evil plot.

Why I Loved The Ark, The Reed, and the Fire Cloud!

First thing to love about this book is the story it tells. This book takes the idea of The Ark and tells it through an entire different set of eyes: The animals! And let me tell you, I absolutely enjoyed it every step of the way. It's definitely something I enjoyed reading, and I bet that others will enjoy it too! Jenny L. Cote has such an amazing imagination, and it is sure to enchant readers of all ages. While the first portions of the book are centered around our main characters and their adventures following the fire cloud, a lot of different things happen once we reach the ark. 

We also have snippets of Noah and his family woven into the story, which I really enjoyed. It was nice to read about our familiar faces as they faced the trials and tribulations both building and boarding the ark. 

Secondly, we've got an array of some awesome characters. The first that we meet within this story is Max, who is a Scottish terrier that hears a strange voice and decides to follow the Fire Cloud that he is instructed to. He was definitely fun to read about and one of my favorite characters in the book. Then we have Liz, who's a petite cat from France. And then there's Al, who is an orange Irish cat who is practically fearful of everything. Not only that, but there's so many more that we meet along the way, and all of which are fun to read about.

Also, another fun factor to the book was the nice mystery placed into it. Once everybody is on board, a lot of interesting things begin to unfold when Max and Liz discovers that something is out to get Noah and his family. I really enjoyed that concept, as it provided some interesting and unexpected twists and turns. The mystery was so well-thought-out and provided an even more awesome story.

In Short...

If anyone were to ask me for the title of an adventurous book for their children, I would definitely tell them to check out Jenny L. Cote's work! So much imagination went into creating this wonderful story, all while incorporating the concepts of the ark and its voyage. So in short, this definitely a fun and cute adventure to share with children. A story that's sure to enchant readers of all kinds thanks to Jenny and her talented work! I can't wait to check out the next in her series and see what else is in store for Max and Liz.