Cosmic Creatures: The Runaway Rumblebear

Another adorable quick read from Author Tom Huddleston!

The story is simple, yet still adventurous.
Hidden in plain sight, there are important lessons about colonization and taking care of indigenous species. The author portrays the impact, of Charlies' family settling on Silver and his family, in a child friendly way. The final theme includes learning how to share and take care of the animals/world around you.

Well placed throughout the book are some wonderful pictures. They are well-detailed, greyscale pictures with a lighter tone. They support the story well, in both critical and happy moments. I would have liked them to be darker, as they are difficult to see.

Young readers will love this story! Perfect for all types of libraries!

THE RUNAWAY RUMBLEBEAR is a charming sci-fi chapter book. The story transports the reader to another planet, Vela, where Charlie and her family have settled. Life on a new planet can be tough- and even tougher when she finds out that all their shimmer-apples have been stolen. With her best friend, Random the robot, they follow the trail of the thieves and end up discovering a young animal that they had not met before that they name Silver.

As Charlie tries to keep Silver secret until she can return him to his family, she begins to realize why they have taken all the apples, and hopefully, she can help to find a solution.

What I loved: This is a clever sci-fi read that will appeal to children who love adventure, imagination, and animals. There are some important lessons about colonization and taking care of indigenous species that are sprinkled throughout, as Charlie considers the impact of their settling on Silver and his family. The final theme includes learning how to share and take care of the animals and world around you.

The story is a fun one with plenty of mystery and sci-fi elements. Charlie and Random the robot are compelling characters that young readers will enjoy. As a chapter book, it has slightly larger than typical font for independent readers as well as illustrations on key pages (there are not illustrations on every page spread, but most).

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, I did not love Charlie working so hard to keep secrets from her parents, especially for the young intended audience. In addition, the illustrations were somewhat hard to see as they have a very light, sketch-like quality to them. While they were well done, it would have helped them to have thicker lines or something else to make them more easily visible throughout.

Final verdict: THE RUNAWAY RUMBLEBEAR is a clever and engaging chapter book for young explorers who enjoy sci-fi and animals.