Sir Reginalds Logbook [Hardcover]

Matt Hammill (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Author-illustrator Matt Hammill has created a tongue-in-cheek adventure story where fantasy and reality merge, with hilarious results. The eponymous hero is an armchair explorer on a quest for a Lost Tablet of Illusion, stolen by an elusive beast. Sir Reginald's quest takes the reader on a journey through figments and flights of imagination on one hand, and through his mild-mannered home life on the other. Is that the deafening buzz of the carnivorous elephant beetle - or Sir Reginald's alarm clock? Does the tiger-stripe viper lie stretched across his path - or is it a sock? What is the nature of this Lost Tablet and its awesome power? As Sir Reg veers comically between worlds, the imagination emerges as the most powerful charm of all.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—In this tongue-in-cheek adventure, Sir Reginald is on a mission to find the Lost Tablet of Illusion. Readers will quickly realize, with the help of Hammill's illustrations, that his dangerous and mysterious quest into the deepest jungle is happening in his imagination. In actuality, he is only searching his home and yard for a missing TV remote control. His intrepidness is really clumsiness and his encounters with wild creatures are everyday objects that he fails to recognize as such. Hammill's keen sense of humor abounds in both the text and art. The book's design makes the most of the story's pacing and comic timing. The layout allows readers to observe Sir Reginald's fantastical interpretations in colorful scenes while the reality is depicted on the following spread in black and white. Children will enjoy this juxtaposition and the humor it elicits. Sir Reginald's descriptive, often flowery, language introduces readers to some old-fashioned phrasing and adds to the silliness. The story may even encourage them to spend some time away from the Tablet of Illusion embarking on their own adventures.—Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA
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From Booklist

This humorous picture-book adventure opens with intrepid explorer Sir Reginald huddled next to a campfire, deep in a menacing jungle, taking notes on his quest to find the Lost Tablet of Illusion. The next page turns this premise on its head, showing that Reginald is really perched at the top of his bed, in his jammies, tongue-in-cheekily claiming “the jungle is a dangerous place.” For each of the next steps in Reginald’s quest, the real world is penned in black and white while his fanciful imaginings dominate in dramatic watercolors. In this amplification of imagination—a method perfected by Bill Watterson in his Calvin and Hobbes comic strips—a discarded sock becomes a deadly viper’s shed skin, and puppy paw prints become monstrous tracks leading through the jungle. The two worlds play off each other admirably, and the end of Reginald’s adventure features a nice twist on the nature of the object he so bravely seeks. Kids who revel in turning their humdrum world into landscapes rife with danger will enjoy seeing that transformation brought whimsically to life here. Grades 1-3. --Ian Chipman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press, Ltd.; 1st. Canadian edition (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554532027
• ISBN-13: 978-1554532025
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 10.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,010,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding adventure and humor, January 20, 2010

By 

P. B. White (Palmer, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sir Reginalds Logbook (Hardcover)

Having read literally thousands of children's books to my two little ones over the last 8 years, it's rare that one breaks the mold, and is really a standout.
Sir Reginald's Logbook is one of those books. An adventure with a great 'twist' that unfolds quickly, but leaves the kids asking what each new adventure 'really' represents.
This one appealed to me, and both my kids, ages 8 and 5. Definitely one of my top 10 children's books favorites!

5.0 out of 5 stars Son loves it, July 1, 2009

By 

Nicole Gibbons (Lincoln, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sir Reginalds Logbook (Hardcover)

My son is a huge Indiana Jones fan so naturally he took to this book. Also being 4 he loved the humor and laughed the whole way through as we figured out what Sir Reginald was pretending. We read this almost nightly at bedtime! Fun adventure book that teaches kids to stretch their imaginations.

5.0 out of 5 stars Library surprise, March 2, 2009

By 

S. Rowley - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sir Reginalds Logbook (Hardcover)

I finally joined the library last weekend with my 6 year old son. Out of the hundreds of books, we chose four including this one. It is fantastic. I love it and my son was cracking up over the adventures and mishaps. It is a simple yet highly imaginative story with beautiful drawings and sketches. I highly recommend it and will look for more books by the same author.