Whimsical Children’s Books: A Place for Pockets and No More Tumbles for Stumbles

Welcome to The Book Nanny! I’m Emily Campbell, your devoted mom, avid bookworm, and trusty guide to finding books that match your preferences. Embark on a whimsical journey with me into children’s literature! In this double feature, we explore these stories of “A Place for Pockets” and “No More Tumbles for Stumbles.” These two lighthearted tales captivate young readers with playful characters and valuable life lessons. Join me as we dive into these charming pages. Get ready to uncover the hidden treasures and discover how these stories can inspire resilience, empathy, and the joy of giving. Let’s unlock the magic of reading together.

Sponsored but Sincere

But before we proceed, let me assure you that while this book review is sponsored, my opinions and thoughts remain entirely unbiased and unaffected by this sponsorship. Transparency and providing an honest assessment are of utmost importance to me. Rest assured that my review reflects my genuine and independent evaluation of the book.

So, grab a warm cup of cocoa, settle into your comfiest reading nook, and let’s rediscover the joy of being a child together.

A Place for Pockets

Pocket is a happy clown with a loving heart. He loves to help cats and kittens find a place to call home. As he travels to visit some friends, he makes new friends by helping others along the way.

Content Guide for Parents:

Language: G – None

Adult Content: G – None

Violence: G – None

Topics to Talk About in A Place for Pockets

This book has a couple of different topics adults can talk about with children. One interesting thing we learn about Pockets is he doesn’t have a home. This is a great moment to talk with your child about homelessness and how you can lend a helping hand like Pockets. 

Another thing you can talk about is being nice to animals. Pockets is constantly finding new cats and kittens. He takes care of them until he can find them a home. You can talk about times when you have found lost animals in your neighborhood and how you helped them find safe and loving homes.

My Thoughts about A Place for Pockets

I love how the main character has a unique name. My daughter is going through a phase where she loves to make up names for everything and the fact that the main character also has a unique name really resonated.

The message is also fantastic. What kid doesn’t pretend to rescue animals, or is finding new homes for them? You have to tease it out a little bit so younger readers better understand, but I still like it. I think the message could have been a bit clearer to minimize some of that explanation. Overall a great book!

No More Tumbles for Stumbles

Stumbles is a puppy who can’t see very well. As he explores town, he isn’t very careful and gets into trouble repeatedly. Even though his friends keep trying to remind him to stay safe, eventually, he discovers glasses, and everyone celebrates he can see.

Content Guide for Parents

Language: G – None

Adult Contet: G – None

Violence: G – None

Topics to Talk About in No More Tumbles for Stumbles

Some topics you can talk about with your kids while reading this book are how to help others with different abilities (wheelchairs, glasses, etc.) and how to cross the road safely. 

You can ask your child if they have had experiences with people with different abilities, like Stumbles, and how they handled the situation. This is a great moment to talk with kids about empathy and inclusivity.

While reading about Stumbles’ adventures, you can discuss road safety and the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street. There is a time when Stumbles doesn’t see a carriage coming down the road and has to move out of the way quickly. Seeing Stumbles’ bad example can help reinforce safe habits of holding hands to cross the street and looking both ways.

My Thoughts About This Children’s Book

No More Tumbles for Stumbles is trying to get across a great message about resilience through trials and accepting others who are different. I felt like some of this message was lost in the story. I would have loved for his friend Mac at the end to become his “guide dog” 😉 and help him navigate obstacles or for other friends to warn Stumbles of things in his path. Instead of letting him get hurt and then reminding him afterward to take care. I think a few changes would make this book even better!

Illustrations in Children’s Books

Illustrations in Children’s books need to add to the story and tell pieces left out in the text. The pictures help young readers better connect with characters, see various artistic styles, and hopefully inspire creativity. The illustrations can either add to the reader’s experience or distract from the message the author is trying to convey. 

The illustrations in these books are very bright and colorful. They are computer generated, but they don’t have a high-quality feel. I also think the art doesn’t really add to what is written in the story. In other Children’s books, the art shifts perspectives, locations, and sometimes styles or mediums. The illustrations in A Place for Pockets and No More Tumbles for Stumbles don’t do that. I think they would be much better with a different illustrator.

Repetitive Patterns: Balancing Learning and Engagement

Repetition is vital for learning new information, but too much repetition takes away from the experience. There is repetition in both books, but it goes a little overboard in No More Tumbles for Stumbles. I wish there was more of a shift and a change in what Stumbles does and how he interacts with others. 

Another thing that would have made these books better is giving readers insight into what the characters were thinking in different situations. I wanted to know if Stumbles felt disheartened after bumping into things all day and needed to give himself a pep-talk or if Pockets longed for his own home while finding homes for all his animal friends.

With a little more intentionality with the story arcs and theme placement, these unique children’s stories would shine even brighter.

Story Time with My Daughter

These two books, A Place for Pockets and No More Tumbles for Stumbles are cute easy children’s books. I had fun reading these stories with my four-year-old daughter on a lazy afternoon. When I asked her what her favorite parts from the books were, she said she loved seeing all of the animals in A Place for Pockets and how he cared for them. She also enjoyed the celebration at the end of No More Tumbles for Stumbles when everyone rallies around him after he finally got glasses. Since then, she has asked to read them again and again.

Where to Purchase These Children’s Books

A Place for Pockets is available on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, and Barnes and Noble.

No More Tumbles for Stumbles is also available on Amazon, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble.

 To learn more about ebooks, check out this article where I pull back the mysterious curtain and teach you about the ins and outs.

Recommendations for more Children’s Books

These would be good books for a library, a lending library, or a school classroom. I probably wouldn’t purchase them for our library. Partly because we don’t have any more room on our shelves, but also because I try to only keep books that I have absolutely fallen in love with and can’t wait to read again. A Place for Pockets and No More Tumbles for Stumbles didn’t spark that ongoing joy in me while we read it. I might get them as a gift for someone else or as something to add to our future lending library through!

If you are looking for more Children’s books and want to add a new Christmas tradition, check out this post about doing a book advent.

Happy Reading!