The following is copied from amazon.com. When a teacher for 31 years can see value in “The Odessa Chronicles” …. perhaps it should be given serious consideration for the upcoming festive season and, bonus …. there is minimal COVID shopping risk as it can be delivered to you! What more could anybody want eh!

“The Odessa Chronicles is a series of quick adventures for Joshua Pebblestone (the man-servant) and his animal friends who live with him at Moonbeam Farm. Joshua’s animal friends consist of Odessa (a wandering barn owl), Jaxon (a jackalope—a furry horned creature with magical powers), and Dewey (an unusual cat). Like any family, things don’t always go smoothly, but they all seem to care about one another genuinely. The one thing they all share in common is a love for adventure. In addition, they enjoy playing tricks on one another, but their tricks are far more playful pranks than anything cruel.

The man-servant and his animal friends have the unique ability to communicate with one another, though Odessa and the man-servant constantly have a humorous time understanding one another. Each of the characters has challenges to overcome at some point, and they are all sympathetic and lovable characters despite their idiosyncrasies.

As someone who taught grades 2-6 for thirty-one years, I know that children in that age group would enjoy this book. I feel it would make a great read-aloud for young children, but I can imagine 5th and 6th graders reading and enjoying this book independently. While the book’s purpose is to entertain, there are also many fine embedded lessons for children to learn. Each of the forty-eight chapters is a new adventure waiting to happen.”