A Bevvy of Books – A Review of Select Titles From Insight Editions

My name is Melanie and I’m a book-a-holic. Always have been. From before I could read I’ve been obsessed with the printed word. Really. I have proof. My parents have a picture of me “reading” a book in my crib.

Recently, I had the privilege of choosing a few books from the publisher Insight Editions to read and review. Man, I devoured their catalog like crazy and anxiously awaited my titles. Now, I’ve finally managed to work my way through them and I thought I’d share what I found with you.

I’ve always loved Yogi Bear. When I was a kid I loved watching his exploits in Jellystone National Park with his favorite sidekick Boo Boo. Life Is A Pic-A-Nic: Tips and Tricks for the Smarter Than Av-er-age Bear is a guide to life from everybody’s favorite picnic basket thief. It’s a slim edition that’s the perfect stocking stuffer (it’ll be here soon!) or gift topper. It’s filled with cute illustrations and funny anecdotes that any cartoon fan would love.

When you hear the word invention what do you think? I know I’ve always pictured a scientist toiling for years on a project – lots of trial, lots of error, and after a long time the reward of owning a patent. Well, often the everyday objects that surround us were invented quite accidentally. No toil, no labor, just “Oops! Well, whaddya know? I’ve discovered something.” I loved reading Accidental Inventions and discovering the funny ways things came to be. It was full off bright pictures and interesting anecdotes and I came away learning much more than I ever knew before I read it.

When I saw this movie a couple of years ago I was instantly smitten with it’s clever, retro inspired animation. I soon discovered the companion book The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and immediately put it on my Amazon wishlist where it sat and sat and was never purchased. So imagine my excitement when I discovered it was published by Insight Editions! I LOVE this book. It’s full of colorful illustrations depicting the entire animation process of the film. Not only that but it has several interactive pieces also. Want scratch and sniff stickers? A map of of Swallow Falls? A guide to Flint Lockwood’s inventions? They’re all in here.

I was also very excited about Mail-Order Mysteries because I was a huge comic book fan when I was a kid. I was crazy for Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the entire Riverdale gang. One thing I noticed when reading were advertisements for interesting products. You know, “send $1.95 and receive a guide on how to be a world class cartoonist!” and the like. This book does not disappoint. The author, Kirk Demarais, tracked down many of those various items and has compiled them in this volume. Finally, those Mail-Order Mysteries are solved! This book was so fun to read and I was instantly transported to the sunny days of my youth when I read it.

And now, here’s the best part. I’m giving away two of the titles I wrote about above – Accidental Inventions and Mail-Order Mysteries. Be sure to enter below! Sorry, US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

full disclosure: I was given copies of the above titles to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.