Intruders! The Capybaras by Alfredo Soderguit

The chickens were living on a safe, pleasant island in the swamp.

LIFE WAS COMFORTABLE. EVERYONE KNEW WHAT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO.

UNTIL ONE DAY... THE CAPYBARAS CAME.

They had long, soggy, swampy-smelling hair. They looked like guinea pigs, only big, BIGGER, MUCH BIGGER! The capybaras made the island instantly feel overpopulated.

But the capybaras could not leave because...

HUNTING SEASON HAD BEGUN.

So the chickens kindly let them stay, but not before they agreed to follow the rules:

1. MAKE NO NOISE.

2. STAY IN THE WATER.

3. STAY AWAY FROM THE FOOD.

4. FOLLOW THE RULES WITHOUT QUESTION.

But one little peeper chick was curious about the littlest capybara. He ran after him and jumped on his back! The little capybara jumped into the water with the chick on his back and swam out into the water! The scared chick called for MAMA!

PEEP! PEE-EEP!

Mama Hen rescues him and reminds him that capybaras are wild animals, and they must keep away from those alien, smelly swamp dwellers.

Fall comes and with it the capybara hunters with their guns and dogs. But one day, on the way back to their nesting house, the little chick is chased by a dog with sharp teeth. It doesn't look good for the chick, until the capybaras turn around and scare the WOOOOFS right out of the dog with their size and show of even more sharp teeth.

So now it's all for one and one for all on Hen Island. The hunters go home empty handed. Hens and capybaras live together happily ever after, in Alfredo Soderguit's little parable of coming together for the common good, The Capybaras.

Using a minamalist art style of black lines with touches of red, illustrator Soderguit's little lesson on living together proves the motto "In union there is strength," and life on the island is good again!

Publishers Weekly applauds, saying, "Featuring a cast of adorable, expressive animals, this is a simple but multilayered tale of overcoming prejudice, learning to question the status quo, and creating community."

Between the Rack and a Stinky Moat: Could You Escape the Tower of London (An Interactive Survival Adventure) by Blake Hoena

 

You are about to step foot into one of the most famous fortresses in the world. It has served as a home to kings and queens, the United Kingdom's Royal Mint, a zoo, and even the crown jewels. And... it has housed prisoners who spent the rest of their lives behind its walls.

Even if you were not one Henry the Eighth's six wives, being imprisoned inside the White Tower of London was not where you would want to be.

Built as by the invading William the Conqueror from Norman France as a combination palace and invincible castle redoubt, The Tower was both a castle for the king and all-too-often a prison where he kept traitors to his rule and those who questioned what he considered the proper religion. Few were those who escaped from the TOWER! And kings came and went, some adding double walls and many other infamous towers--like the Bloody Tower and the Cradle Tower--and the famous gate towers--like The Traitors' Gate and the Coldharbour Gate.

Inside the King's servants kept watch and sometimes tortured prisoners on The Rack, which stretched their arms and legs until sometimes the bones broke. Many attempted escape, either by disguise or some sort of subterfuge, and some sent for help from friends who offered to assist in the escape. The most successful means involved grappling hooks and sliding down some sort of rope to be spirited away down the river by rescuing boatmen below. Some had to choose between swimming the wide and wild Thames River or the sewage-filled moat.

"The moat is shallower and much less dangerous. But the moat has its drawbacks. Human waste from the people living at the castle is often dumped into the moat. It will be a smelly stretch of water to swim across. The swim is not easy. Slick waste coats your clothing. You struggle to breathe because of the stench. But it is a short swim. And after climbing out on the other side you disappear into the night. You're free!

YOU CHOOSE!

Blake Hoena's Could You Escape the Tower of London?: An Interactive Survival Adventure (You Choose: Can You Escape?) (Capstone Press, 2020) gives middle readers an opportunity to choose their escape from England's famous Tower of London, one of the great places to visit (and imagine clever escape ruses and routes) in Britain. With "three paths, 35 choices, and 18 possible endings" and plenty of illustrations to help young readers visualize the exterior and interior of the Tower (and sympathize with Henry VIII's three beheaded queens and the others who died there) this series provides thrills and chills, along with plenty of informative backmatter with a timeline, accounts of several successful and unsuccessful escapes, a bibliography and list of internet sites, and an index to round out a book report or class project.

Other books in this interactive adventure series are Could You Escape the Paris Catacombs?: An Interactive Survival Adventure (You Choose: Can You Escape?) and Could You Escape the Paris Catacombs?: An Interactive Survival Adventure (You Choose: Can You Escape?).