Abbey the Cavi and Friends

Abbey the Cavi is the same loveable little pup we first met in Abbey the Cavi in Miami Beach, but Abbey the Cavi and Friends makes for a significantly different reading experience from Abbey's first little adventure. Gone are the lush color illustrations on every page (although, as you can see, the front cover is perfectly enchanting), replaced with cute black and white drawings interspersed throughout. While Lisa Balaam told Abbey's debut story by means of cute rhyming verses, her lyrical contributions are now extras accompanying Steve Balaam's narrative. With these changes, Abbey the Cavi caters to ages 9-12 rather than the youngest of readers - although I think the book pretty much straddles the fence between the two. This particular day in the life of Abbey the Cavi starts out like any other, watching the sun rise with Percy the somewhat clumsy pelican, enjoying breakfast with her humans, Mr. and Mrs. B, and strolling down to the local bakery for a baguette (which she will happily share with a friend). Walking past the "the Boardwalk Boys" (three wildcats) is always a little dangerous, and a shortcut through some tall grass proves to be a little rattling, but Abbey makes out all right, meeting up with other helpful friends (Carlos the Crab, Danny the Dolphin, and Sandy the Seagull) as she begins to make her way home. On the way, though, she sees Luca, one of her larger canine friends, and his human John and decides to go with them to watch the cruise ships sail out of the port. That is when the day takes a big turn, ultimately putting Abbey in danger. Many a lesson is incorporated into Abbey's adventure, such as the meaning of friendship and the importance of working together to solve problems. Children will also see why you shouldn't judge someone else by appearance alone - if Abbey did that, she would never have made some of her very best friends. A less subtle message is the importance of listening to authority figures - if Abbey, having been warned that a storm was coming later, had gone on home rather than accompanying Luca and John to the pier, she would never have run into the trouble she ultimately finds herself in. In the same vein, had she not given into the wishes of her friends to do something she was unsure about, she would have stayed high and dry. I like the size and heft of this book; unlike the oversized Abbey the Cavi in Miami Beach, this book is kid-sized. When I was little, I had a bunch of smaller hardcovers like this, and I treasured them. This one also has a place in the front where the child can write his name, so he'll really feel as if this is truly his book. I personally would recommend this book for ages 6 to 10, though. This is the kind of book you share with your child to show him how much fun reading can be. I love Abbey the Cavi, but there's no way she can compete with the likes of Harry Potter among more advanced pre-teen readers.

When 'Abbey the Cavi in Miami Beach (Abbey the Cavi)' was published in January 2006, the first volume of what seems will be an ongoing series, it seemed more interested in being a picture book for the age 4 - 8 set than a meaningful children's storybook. Thankfully that has changed with the publication of the next installment - 'Abbey the Cavi and Friends' - and several directions of change have occurred: the author is now Steven Balaam where previously Lisa Balaam dominated the book with verse, and the size of the book has been significantly reduced as have been the illustrations, gearing the book to the age 9 - 12 range. More story, less rhyme, less illustrations - and perhaps less audience. While the book continues the adventures of the Miami Beach cute little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and retains most of her friends from the first outing (a seagull, a dolphin, a French baker, and crab, a pelican etc, each with its own characteristics and lessons of friendship), now a Gecko lizard Larry, a snake Sidney and a Collie-Samoyan huge dog Luca have been added and offer yet more adventures about taking chances, safety, bonding, learning new languages and the variety of life experiences that can occur in the period of a day. Steven Balaam's writing style is fluid and he is able to maintain a story that should keep the minds of his intended audience interested. The book's size and lack of color illustrations and the inclusion of little verses confuse the picture: is this the kind of story that will appeal to the 9 - 12 year olds or is it a story that would better be expanded visually and size-wise to entertain a younger set? Time will tell, but the Balaams do show the willingness to grow and adapt to the fine art history of children's books - and that is a very positive sign for success. Grady Harp, February 07

Abbey the Cavi is a bright and beautiful dog named after Westminster Abbey and the Cavalier King Charles. His dogs were known as "Cavis", and since Abbey's owner was originally from Britain, the name is suitable. Abbey lives in Florida and has many friends. They include cats, other dogs, sea gulls, dolphins, pelicans, crabs and a gecko. There is also an occasional human that Abbey encounters and befriends. Abbey is a cautious, yet adventurous canine and goes on many adventures. In this case it is a dangerous one. He travels to a place on the ocean front called rockland with his gecko friend Larry and it is storming. The only shelter is a cave that will be filled when the tide rolls in, so they must go out into the storm. Swept out into the ocean, they manage to climb aboard a pallet, but it is being forced out to sea. Fortunately, their friends arrive. Danny the dolphin takes Abbey and Larry on his back and swims towards a cruise ship. Sandy the seagull calls up a flock of gulls and they dive at the crew of the ship until they get their attention. They spot Abbey and lower a lifeboat to rescue her. The story ends with Abbey and Larry on board the ship on their way to a new adventure. The story is excellent, but there are few illustrations and these are in black and white. The level is such that it is not a book for young children; I would place it at the level of the very late elementary or early middle school child. Segments of verse are interjected in the story, children will like them, but I didn't find them all that appealing. For example, on page 18 there is the verse: "That one has berries, And that one has cream. Are there any fairies? I think I might be in a dream." This is a good story that could have been made better with a few more illustrations and less verse. Some illustrations of the same quality as the cover art would have really improved it.