Note: I received a digital review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

Noura loved to eat watermelon, and nothing but watermelon. Despite the sincere attempts of her mama and baba (father) to get her to eat other things, she would only consume this one favorite food, even going so far as to steal a watermelon from the kitchen and hide it under her bed one night. Her plan to enjoy the entire watermelon by herself didn't quite turn out as she expected however, as a surreal and disturbing dream alerted her mother to the situation...

Originally published in Jordan as البطيخة (literally "watermelon"), Watermelon Madness is the first picture-book I have read from Jordanian author Taghreed Najjar, but the second from Lebanese illustrator Maya Fidawi, following upon Amina Hachimi Alaoui's Alya and the Three Cats. It is a cute book, one which addresses a common childhood problem - namely, the desire of some children to exclusively eat one favorite food substance - with humor. The artwork captures that humor, and is vibrantly colorful and expressive. The ending did feel rather abrupt to me - Noura's mother says they will discuss the dream, but the narrative simply moves on to Noura eating something other than watermelon, with no discussion - but leaving that aside, this is one I would recommend to picture-book readers looking for stories about children and their eating habits, or for children's books with a Middle Eastern cultural setting. ( )

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I thought this book had a very James and the Giant Peach vibe, but that feeling didn't last very long. Noura was rude and extremely ill-tempered. She yelled at her mother with no consequence, and I thought her behavior should have at least been addressed.

At the end the mother tells her daughter that they will discuss the "magical watermelon" the next day, but then the story ends. Why tell the readers your going to talk about Noura's dream, if you're not going to?

The story was an okay read for me, and my son enjoyed it because of the watermelon theme (he's obsessed with them). I just feel like the story could have been more that what it was (a few more explanations, Noura being told that her behavior was unkind, etc.).

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on August 4, 2018. ( )

Noura is a little girl who loved watermelon. She loves it so much she only wants to eat watermelon, in fact she wants to curl up and live inside a watermelon. That night, she hides a watermelon under her bed. That night she has a dream, or maybe a nightmare about being trapped inside a watermelon and not being able to get out. She learns that too much of anything is not a good thing.

My grandson thought this book was pretty funny. He loves watermelon, but could not understand only wanting to eat one thing. He has a pretty healthy and diverse appetite, but not all children do. This would be a good story to share when a child only wants to eat one thing. The illustrations are large, bright and vibrant, which certainly grabs and holds the attention of the listener. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

This is a simple book about a girl who loves to eat watermelon. It's a good lesson for kids that everything should be enjoyed in moderation. There were a few sticking points that made me not really enjoy it though. First, it switches between past and present tenses, when it should just stick with one tense. Also, there's not really too much of a story. It ends really abruptly, without the intended lesson being explained to Noura, or truly demonstrating her understanding. It could have been expanded on with a page or two of her talking with her mother about the experience.

*I received an electronic copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.* ( )