MacCheeky Book Series Review and Giveaway

Sunday, September 19, 2010

This contest is now closed.

A winner has been selected.

Prince Hayden MacCheeky was a REAL little prince. He lived in a royal castle on a royal lane with his royal parents, his royal brother Prince Campbell, his royal sister Princess Ava, and his royal dog Goober.

You would be hard pressed to find a book that's more regal than one whose main character answers to Prince Hayden MacCheeky and is nothing but a royal pain. He is so annoying that he earned the royal title of A Royal Little Pest.

The MacCheeky series is full of entertaining characters and delightful illustrations, and currently includes two titles: A Royal Little Pest and A Royal Little Pest: Mine! Both stories explore the universal motif of empathy and touch upon the old adage of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. And better still, they bring joy and humour to children and parents alike. With funny story lines and amusing visuals, moms and dads will love reading the MacCheeky books to their children who will learn the benefits of treating others with respect and kindness. It's no wonder that A Royal Little Pest received the Great Books seal from the Canadian Toy Testing Council.

About the Author

Anita Reynolds was born and raised in Montreal and currently resides right here in Toronto with her husband, three children and a dog named... yes, you guessed it... Goober! With a degree in English Literature and a diploma in Book and Magazine Publishing, Anita finds inspiration for writing children's literature in her everyday life.

About the Illustrator

Karen Roy, a wife and mother to two kids and two cats, studied Graphic Design and claims that she did nothing but scribble. Until, that is, she learned to scribble on her computer.

Our Thoughts

For this review, I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of each of the books and was so ecstatic to learn that my friend would also receive her own copies. You see, her oldest daughter, my goddaughter, is a little principessa. And the books were an instant hit! My friend sent in her thoughts on the series and I would like to share them with you. Be it known that my friend is an English Literature major with a Masters in Education. She also has a desire to someday publish children's stories of her own. Here is what she had to say:

My oldest daughter is an avid reader at the tender age of 6. When my copies of A Royal Little Pest and A Royal Little Pest MINE! arrived, I placed them securely on my desk. As soon as my daughter entered the room, she snatched them up. She must have some sort of biblio-radar, I’m convinced. When I told her that we would read them at bedtime, she wasn’t impressed with having to wait. She immediately devoured the books. Soon after she entered her room from whence I heard pleasing laughter, giggles and the creation of various voices in full animation. Her joyful reaction to these delightful books are a testament to the splendid work of Anita Reynolds MacArthur. Each book contains a simple message, a moral, so to speak: play nicely and learn to share, respectively. Furthermore, the touch of royalty drove my daughter into hysterics. When I asked her what she liked about the books, she immediately blurted, "Everything is royal, mama!" From there, my daughter proceeded to imitate the concept in vivo addressing various things in her immediate vicinity as royal this and royal that. These stories are sure to delight the curious mind of any young reader. The gorgeous pictures make them all the more inviting too!
Sandra Garcia

At our house, my children loved them just as much. Both of my kids found the stories funny and the illustrations lively. My son, who is 2, absolutely loved the pictures in fact. He kept squealing and pointing out the many objects to which he could relate while my daughter loved reading the words in large contrasting font. I, as a teacher no less, love the use of onomatopoeia. There are also some hilarious visual details interspersed throughout the pages such as the royal scroll announcing "BLAH BLAH BLAH," the can of "Icky Peas" and the use of Goober as a footstool. Here are some shots of my son as he flipped through the second book in the series:

You can tell by the look on his face that he thoroughly enjoyed the whimsical illustrations. As a teacher and a mom, I give the MacCheeky books an A+!

The MacCheeky books are available for purchase for as little as $12.96 when ordering from Amazon.ca (only 2 left at the time of posting). Canadians can also order from Chapter.Indigo.ca while our American counterparts can also order from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Borders.

One Toronto Teacher Mom reader will win a copy of A Royal Little Pest and A Royal Little Pest: Mine!

For your main entry, which is mandatory, tell me how you heard about this giveaway. Was it through Facebook, Twitter, email subscription, etc. The more specific you are, the better! Leave a comment on this post along with a way to contact you if you win.

For additional entries, you may choose to do any or all of the following:

Add my blog button to your site. Copy code is located on the right sidebar. (Worth 2 entries. Please leave two separate comments.)
Become a follower of MacCheeky on Twitter.
Become a fan of MacCheeky's Royal Facebook Page and leave a comment saying Toronto Teacher Mom sent you.
Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom using Google Friend Connect.
Become a fan of the new Toronto Teacher Mom Facebook fan page.
Become a follower of Toronto Teacher Mom on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Tweet daily for additional entries. Feel free to use the following tweet:

Win a set of two @MacCheeky children's hardcover books @TeacherMomOfTwo http://ht.ly/2Gp9o

Contest ends October 7 at 10pm EST. Open to US and Canadian residents. Winner will be selected using Random.org and must reply to the notification email within 3 days or a new winner will be drawn.

Disclosure: Both my friend and I received copies of the MacCheeky books for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. The thoughts and views expressed in this review are strictly my own honest opinions.