I would give this 4.5 if I could. A strong 5 for the artwork and a 4 for the story. Nimpentoad has many strengths, not least of which is the beautiful artwork (if you can call pictures of goblins, orcs, and trolls beautiful). Eddingfield and Maus really out did themselves. The story itself is interesting and engaging, with a conversational tone. As we follow the adventure of the Niblings through Grunwald Forest small lessons are slipped in. Children learn the danger of not following directions and the rudeness of eating with their mouth open, numbers and colors are introduced, and the fun of eating vegetables declared. It does feel a little rushed, as Nimpentoad outsmarts one forest species after another in quick succession with very little in between, but I doubt a child would notice. All-in-all a beautifully drawn and fun story for children. ( )

This is a book any child would love to have on his bookshelf! And not only for the incredible pictures, but also for the exciting story and the fascinating characters. “Nimpentoad” is a real keeper, so I’d choose the paperback over the Kindle version anytime.

The thing that I loved most was the authors’ creativity with the different fantasy creatures, their names, habits, and personalities. The Niblings are the smallest creatures in the Grunwald Forest, and they have a big issue: all the other bigger and stronger creatures bully them. So, Nimpentoad, the bravest Nibling, suggests they should all cross the forest and go to Goofus, the giant, and ask him for protection in exchange for helping him clean his castle, cook his food and turn his pages when he’s reading. During their five-days trip they encounter many terrible creatures who want to either bully them or eat them. In each chapter kids will learn about goblins, neebels, orcs, giant scorpions, and trolls.

The book carries an important message regarding bullying: just because you are bigger and stronger doesn’t give you the right to pick on the smaller and weaker ones. Children will see that things don’t end well for those who bully the Niblings, and they will also have Goofus as a good example. The giant offers the Niblings his protection, which shows that the older kids should always protect the younger ones.

“Nimpentoad” is the perfect choice if you want your kid to love fantasy literature and read “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter” later. ( )

I won a signed copy of this through the GoodReads First-Reads program. I was incredibly excited to win this title. The artwork is stunning and a ton of fun, the story is great (and was written as a father/son team which I love), and the story itself hit on a lot of teaching points parents can use with children. Such as:
Courage, trying new things, manners, creativity, leadership, trust, eating vegetables, hygiene, bullying, reading, and teamwork. Which is a ton of lessons to have in a short 34 pages.

But for me the thing I like the most, is that it is a fantasy story that is age appropriate. As an avid reader of Fantasy and Sci-Fi I find that most is either written as YA or for adults but there is a mysterious deficit in the genre for that age group. I am glad the Herz's are changing that.

I look forward to reading their next publication. ( )

Niblings, the smallest and most clever of creatures, lived in Grunwald Forest many years ago. Niblings were also excellent cooks and very skilled with their small hands. There was just one problem they faced more often that not, and that is they were picked on by all the other forest creatures who were bigger than they were. The Niblings were picked on by Goblins, Neebles, Orcs and a few other big, scary and smelly creatures that would often want to eat the Niblings. Nimpentoad, the smartest of the Niblings, had an idea that would keep them all safe forever. The grand idea that Nimpentoad devised was to go to the castle of Goofus the giant. Once there, they could help with cooking and cleaning and turning the pages of the giants favorite books. You see, Goofus was so big and clumsy he needed help. For the Niblings it would be a dangerous journey and a race against time to get to Goofus before any creatures could eat them.

Herz brings together a curiously funny story for young readers. Simple sentences with fun descriptive scenes and characters will keep young readers engaged and thrilled. Parents and teachers can happily encourage boys to read, giggle and root for Nimepentoad, the underdog. ( )