In the Forest (The Adventures of Archibald and Jockabeb) Paperback – October 1, 2015

This children’s book about two brothers, Archibald and Jockabeb and the amazing adventures they have growing up is a great book to get to read with your kids, or let them read themselves. They/ you will lose yourselves within the detailed descriptions of the world these two brothers live in and the adventures they have are gripping, and full of action, courage, trust and loyalty. This is the first in a series and in this book the brothers meet an Indian Haktu after they follow a magic map they found. Haktu invites them into his hidden magical world and enlists their help with getting him back together with his tribe and defeating an evil spell.The characters are complex but not to complex where a child might get lost in the details. And the plot moves along at a steady pace and does not drag at times. I really loved this book and I’ve already given it to my daughter who is reading it right now. She enjoys good adventure stories and I’m sure she will like this one as well.

The adventures of Archibald & Jockabeb - In The Forrest e- ISBN: 9781943346035, by Art Collins.The book opens with a seemingly complete review of adventures that will be undertaken by two brothers who from earliest childhood do almost everything together. The first in the series of books starting when they are twelve and eleven years old respectively and continue on into their late teens. Characters encountered will be good and bad, human and animal, natural and unnatural, even mystical. The experiences occur in several intriguing and/or exotic settings, each will include a touch or more of the supernatural and will tell of “one fantastic adventure after another – oftentimes dangerous and always exciting.” They are “set in the latter part of the 20th century – a simpler time before cell phones, the internet, and social media became part of everyday life.”The first adventure begins as we meet Archibald, the younger brother who is smaller, but more adventuresome than his larger brother Jockabeb who is more timid as a result of an unfortunate occurrence when his brother saved him. They have entered the dark and mysterious forest close to their home, find an old map, follow it and their first adventure begins as they become involved with Haktu, an Indian boy they rescue from a most unusual situation, a beautiful pony, a beautiful meadow within the forest, strange dangerous bird/wolves, a magical feather and even inadvertently involves their younger sister Tess.Discussion: This first book in the series includes most of the elements projected by the author’s initial presentation and appears to be written at a pace and in a manner that should be most enjoyable for children of the projected age. Perhaps a bit surprising is that the author is a retired Fortune 500 CEO who one ordinarily would not think of as being able to pursue such an interestingly different course of thought.Conclusion: An interestingly written children’s first book in a projected series set forth by a seemingly unexpected author.

“It was the second-to-last decade of the twentieth century – a simpler, less harried time before cell phones, the Internet, and social media became part of everyday life. The boys lived with their parents and younger sister, Tess, in a single-story house at the end of a quiet, tree-lined street in a small midwestern city.”Growing up can be a fun adventurous time and with young Archibald and Jockabeb this is no exception. Behind their home a vast forest exists where young minds can only envision what lies beyond. The boys could never imagine a world where they will encounter four crow-wolf warrior/creatures, a dragon in a secret cave, Haktu the Indian brave, and Uno the beautiful pony.I have fallen in love with this story, yes, I am an adult nevertheless it brought back the carefree days of my childhood where dreams are made and imaginations soar. Beautifully written, captivatingly inspired one can’t help but be drawn into the two young boys lives and the adventures within. The illustrations are exquisite yet simple enough to never take away from the story. With this being the first book of the series Art introduces children to the simple time of childhood when imaginations where the key not video games - the childhood parents long to give their children. While recommended for ages 7-15 I can actually see this novel and possibly the series becoming a lifelong favorite for children and adults. I highly recommend and can’t wait to read more of the adventures of Archibald and Jockabeb.

In the Forest (The Adventures of Archibald & Jockabeb) is a wonderful adventurous tale by Art Collins. Two young brothers, Archibald and Jockabeb, live with their parents in a house close to a forest. One weekend, the two boys are outside tossing a ball back and forth when Archibald convinces his brother to go into the forest to search for mushrooms they can give their mother for dinner. While the two boys are digging in the forest for Hen-of-the-Woods mushrooms, they find an old metal box buried in the ground. Inside it is a faded piece of brown leather scroll which they identify as a map. The map identifies a path that starts just beyond their backyard, winds deep into the forest and ends with an ‘X’ marking a secret cave. Archibald convinces a scared Jockabeb to sneak out after midnight to search for the cave and, despite his fear of the unknown, Jockabeb reluctantly agrees. The two boys locate the cave and Archibald once again convinces his brother to go inside. Once inside the cave, they follow the path to a lake with green water and a rowboat which they get into. Before they realize what’s happening, the rowboat is lifted out of the water by something huge and intimidating – a slimy, scary dragon. The two boys are convinced that they’re about to die but the dragon quickly reassures them that they’re safe – and that he needs their help…Collins’ story, In the Forest, is a classic tale of adventure, magic and wonderment, perfect fodder to stoke a young child’s imagination. The two brothers, Archibald and Jockabeb, have the typical older/younger brother dynamic and exemplify the adventurous spirit that is sure to appeal to many a young reader. The book has elements of intrigue which will keep young readers not only engaged but also eager to learn what happens to Haktu and his two friends. With age-appropriate language and engaging prose, this book is the perfect addition to any library or reading curriculum.

In the Forest by Art Collins is a magical children's story. This story is about two brothers who venture into a "haunted" forest and stumble upon a secret cave. The rest of the story feeds off of their experiences in that cave. Each time the boys enter the forest after their cave experience, they run into three evil wolf crow brothers. Their friend, Haktu, that they rescued from the cave and an evil spell, comes to their aid. There is magic, animals, family love, and great friendship in this story. I love how everything makes sense in the end of the book. This story is wonderfully written and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend this story to an older child, as theauthor uses language that is very descriptive but larger vocabulary words, so a younger child would have troubles reading it on their own. I read this to my daughter and she loved it. She was a bit upset with some of the scary parts but quickly got over it, as those parts do not last long. Amazing story!