Book Review: Juliette and Ryo Storybook I, by Peter Philipp

Juliette and Ryo Storybook I is a children's book, illustrated by Johanna Dy, and published by The Essential Library, April 15, 2015.  It is currently available for free on Kindle; otherwise, it is available for purchase as an electronic download and as a paperback on Amazon.com, at:

http://www.amazon.com/Juliette-Ryo-Storybook-Series-Volume/dp/0692428852


This book already has more than one hundred twenty customer reviews on Amazon.com, and an average customer rating of 4.5 stars (90%).


The story leaves the reader to draw his or her own conclusions from the beginning.  Introducing the title characters by stating that, "One rainy afternoon, Juliette and Ryo are playing with their toys.  Juliette is telling her brother..." - the assumption being that Ryo is Juliette's brother.  Peter Philipp also leaves his readers to wonder if many of the fantastic things Juliette and Ryo (presumably children, based on the illustrations and the fact that they are playing with children's toys) - if the things they experience are merely their dreams, inspired by their toys, or if they actually visit some magical kingdom.  Personally, I prefer the former supposition.

The book is full of illustrations, which are usually the highlight of a children's book.  However, I prefer the art of Jonny Duddle and Daniel Lalic.

Peter Philipp uses the third person and the present tense, which lends a sense of immediacy to the experience of reading this story.

Personally, I would recommend it to anyone looking for bedtime stories to read to their children.

review by William Mortensen Vaughan