The Hidden Kingdom: The Nocturnals Book 4 (4)

During the pandemic, I have been reading this series to my 6 year old grandson on various video platforms. We usually read 3-4 chapters in one “sitting,” and he loves them. We’ve read books 1 - 3, and are in 4. Amazingly, he was already familiar with some of the animals mentioned (e.g. sugar glider) and knew it takes place in Australia! There are very few pictures but he doesn’t seem to miss them. I recommend this series.

My granddaughter loves this series of stories. Fun characters!

4th in a very captivating series - 13 and 9 year old daughters thoroughly enjoyed the series.

Bought these books for my granddaughter who is 9 years old and she devoured them absolutely loved them

This is a sometimes fun, though often annoying, book and a quick read with just 25 short chapters.There are several illustrations in the book and my guesstimate is 70% text and 30% illustrations.The recommended age is 7 and up but that age seems too young and impressionable for the content. One of the main characters, Bismark, is constantly making unwanted advances to another character, Dawn. For example, the animals embark on a desperate search for water and Bismark tells Dawn that there might be "a little moisture left on my lips" then he puckers up for a kiss.The are also exclamations of mon dieu and dios mio used frequently throughout the book. There are probably close to 80 references to dios or dieu used when the character is upset or annoyed or excited. I didn't count but those references occurred on practically every other page, sometimes more than once.Ultimately, there is one decent message at the end about the right way to gain attention, by being good, though it is ironic and overshadowed by a main character, on the hero team, giving unwanted attention to a female character throughout the book.I cannot recommend this book, particularly for impressionable middle school aged children.

An extreme water shortage sends the “The Nocturnal Brigade”, the three amigos – Bismark, the sugar glider, Dawn, the fox, and Tobin, the pangolin – on a search for the mysterious source of the shortage and the cause of the swirling ground. Strange voices and “jumping bark” play into the story and their quest to find water for Cora, Bismark’s beloved womat friend, who is near death because of the drought. When they discover a hidden pool of water and the reasons for the depletion of other water sources, the animals learn how their actions have helped cause the problem.The three amigos, Dawn, Tobin, and Bismark – the Nocturnal Brigade – return in Tracey Hecht’s “The Nocturnals: The Hidden Kingdom”. This humorous twist on the combining of three different, but frequently used personalities and three unusual animals results in a fun-to-read story that continues to make some excellent points about desirable personal traits and teaches young readers some lessons about treating others with respect rather than overlooking them because of physical characteristics. This book is one that adults may enjoy as much the targeted readership – ages 7 to 12 years old.“The Hidden Kingdom” is not difficult to read; it uses a more sophisticated vocabulary and sentence structure than many books do for the targeted age group. Further, the issues are topical and their presentation is sufficiently low-key that readers are able to understand and learn from them rather than feeling as if the author had preached to them.Chapters are short – there are 24 chapters making up the 195 pages of the book. Tracey Hecht has subtly woven facts of natural history, science, and ecological issues on the pages of “The Hidden Kingdom”. Seamlessly incorporated into the story, the unusual animals and their habits are explained so that the reader understands what each is. While reading her first three books of this series will help you appreciate the characters in “The Hidden Kingdom”, Ms Hecht includes enough background information to allow you to enjoy this book as a stand-alone story.In the vein of Pepe le Pew, Bismark believes himself to be a polyglot; he often mixes languages as he expresses his thoughts. His alliterative descriptions with regard to other creatures and to situations are delightful. Bismark is a hopeless romantic, a self-envisioned Lotherio. His utterances may offend some individuals, but these provide some good starting points for discussion about treating others with respect and of actions or words that may offend others or that may be considered harassment. Dawn is a thoughtful, intelligent female; she has become the defacto leader of the Brigade. She is a strong female character who ignores Bismark’s untoward suggestions of romance. Tobin, the shy and reticent, sometimes clumsy character who provides a rational perspective on events; he rises to the challenges he faces. He is an appealing creature. His personality and challenges are easily relatable for young readers. Tobin teaches youngsters that everyone, when facing adversity, can contribute to successfully overcoming that challenge.Tracey Hecht has includes a number of new and unusual animals – the lyrebirds, various insects, and a platypus and a chameleon – in this story. Personalities of the animals are distinct, but are ones to which young readers may relate.The artwork was of “The Hidden Kingdom” is in color. In addition to larger illustrations scattered throughout the book and small, illustrated clues located in margins and relating to the mystery, Sarah Fieber’s four-color illustrations head each chapter. These are stylized and, to me, resembled artwork created by Edvard Munch, but are rendered as a watercolor or as a tissue paper collage. These impressionistic illustrations help bring the characters to life.Tracey Hecht’s “The Nocturnals: The Hidden” is appropriate for the target group and as a read-aloud for older preschoolers and kindergarten age children. Clever wordplay, humor, and unique situations make this book equally enjoyable for adult readers. Further, some “poof” humor will have youngsters giggling about the odiferous nature of Tobin’s bodily expressions. The subtle points about not overlooking someone and about cooperation and accepting others for who they are and not how they look provide valuable lessons for readers. My grandchildren love “The Nocturnals” series and are already asking when Ms Hecht will have another book available.

A continuation of the series about nocturnal animals who teach children different morals. This edition is geared towards kids aged 8-10. It follows the characters as they try to solve the mystery of a crumbling forest.A very cute ending shows how important every creature is to the health and welfare of Mother Earth.The advertisement boasts of extended illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. Well, personally, I think this style of drawings are a little creepy. Not like the adorable characters from the earlier books, these characters are odd in their style.But, it is still a great story that teaches an important moral. It is feared towards better readers than their earlier series, this one better suited for grades 4-5.This book is still part of the series of the Nocturnals that includes online enrichment activities. The Nocturnals World online has download printable activities available. It also includes word games, STEM projects, Bingo, language arts and science educator guides, and more!Great for summer reading or homeschool. I really wish more books came with online activities and games.