Literary Awards

Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

Events take a surprising and unexpected turn when  students prank an aged woman's home in the children's book, A Halloween  Night Caper by Robin Hollo. Carl, Peter, Kevin, Marcy, and Robert are  good friends. Halloween is just around the corner, and this year they  want to do something extra outside of their usual Halloween trick or  treating. When Peter's dog goes missing, they suspect that the strange  old lady, Ms. Cruthers, who lives alone on a faraway hill took him, and  decide to play a prank on her. The five students plot and design the  perfect plan, giving each a specific job to perform. However, they  haven’t considered how scary and isolated Ms. Cruther's property is.  Resolving to have a thrilling holiday despite their fear, they continue  with their plans, even when Peter disappears into the dark and creepy  woods. When they reach Ms. Cruther's house, someone starts grabbing them  from the shadows of the night. What will happen to them? Where is  Peter?
 

A Halloween Night Caper by Robin Hollo is an entertaining middle-grade  book. With incredible illustrations and a thought-provoking plot, the  story captures the essence of children's innate qualities and  dispositions. More importantly, it contains a valuable message about  consideration for others and judging people who seem different. It was  gratifying to witness the protagonists' parents taking an active part in  teaching them how to respect others, helping them develop emotionally  and mature into responsible citizens. With the perceived danger lurking  just out of sight, this entertaining and suspenseful story will enthrall  boys and girls from the ages of eight to twelve years.

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

Pearl loves Nugget, her black cat with bright orange eyes. They do everything together, including eating and sleeping. Nugget loves snuggling on Pearl's bed at night to get a good night's sleep. As they were playing in the yard one day, they heard a cat's meow and found out a kitten didn't have a home, so they took her home. This happens for three more days until Pearl had a bed full of kittens that didn't get along and wanted to fight. What was Pearl to do with four extra cats that she could not keep? Her bed was just too small for all the animals.
 

How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? by Robin Hollo is a sweet book about a little girl who loves cats. Robin Hollo does a very nice job of writing this book, and I like the way she builds the anticipation about the other cats to get children excited about the book and Pearl's furry friends. Hollo weaves the story together and comes up with a very sweet ending that makes everyone happy, even Nugget. I enjoyed how the illustrations, along with the author, bring the story to life on the pages of this beautiful book. The pictures have vibrant colors and I love that the watercolors are a nice fit for the story as well. I think How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? can be a nice addition to your child's library, elementary school library, or any classroom or daycare library. Your children will fall in love with Pearl and her kitty friends. 

Reviewed by Marta Tandori for Readers' Favorite

Robin Hollo’s picture book How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? is best described as a children’s book with a huge heart. Pearl and her small black cat, Nugget, live in a little cottage. They’re the best of friends and do everything together until one day, a cry from the other side of their white picket fence brings an unexpected surprise in the form of a tiny orange-colored kitten who needs a home. Pearl and Nugget take in the stray, naming her Ginger, and the three of them get along famously – until three more strays show up in quick succession. Soon, Pearl’s tiny cottage is bursting at the seams, and chaos reigns everywhere. Pearl realizes that everyone is miserable and that things will have to change quickly…
 

Children’s books are wonderful in that there’s always a life lesson built into an engaging story. In the case of How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have?, Robin Hollo teaches children to be charitable, think of others, be kind to animals, and have empathy. More importantly, she shows how even the most unselfish of acts can have consequences that result in difficult choices having to be made. The narrative is simple and straightforward and appropriate for the targeted age group. The illustrations are colorful and complement the narrative. There’s a certain expressive quality in the eyes of each cat that gives each of them a personality that’s utterly irresistible. How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? is the perfect story for introducing young children to the concept of being charitable to stray animals – and their unexpected consequences when one can’t say no!

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? by Robin Hollo is a children's picture book that follows its protagonist, a young girl named Pearl, and her cat Nugget as they accidentally put themselves in a position where the titular question must be asked and answered. The book begins with a description of the bond between Pearl and Nugget and all of the things they do together, which includes sleeping together peacefully in Pearl's cozy bed. Over the course of the next several days, stray kittens and cats begin to make their way into the home of Pearl and Nugget, crowding the bed and ultimately forcing Pearl to decide how many cats she and Nugget can comfortably accommodate and what to do with the others who have joined them.
 

As someone who has been a foster mom for dozens of cats, I was immediately intrigued by How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? by Robin Hollo. My children and I could easily understand where the dilemma lay with Pearl and Nugget and the difficulty in finding balance when you have so much love to give to animals who are desperately in need of it, and the reality of space accommodation. It is clear that Pearl has this same massive heart. The resolution comes swiftly. Although I think it could do a better job of depicting how difficult it is in real life to find forever homes for cats and kittens who need them, as a kid-lit book that very well might be the first entry into the world of fostering and adoption for children, this is a wonderful launchpad to initiate that conversation. The beautiful color illustrations bring Pearl and her cats to life, especially the lovely way their eyes express emotion. Overall, this is a good little book that both parents and children can enjoy together.            

Reviewed by Amy Louise Hill for Readers' Favorite

Skeedaddle Chronicles: Tom's Tale (Skeedaddle Chronicles  1) by Robin Hollo is an entertaining picture book for young children. A  young red-tailed squirrel named Skeedaddle tells the story of his  friend Tom the turkey. Skeedaddle lives on a farm with his parents and  sister Skidoo, along with all of his animal friends. One day some humans  they call Hummies arrive to visit their grandfather who owns the farm.  The smaller Hummies, Cara and Ben, make friends with the animals, and  Ben finds himself drawn to a turkey named Tom. The two become almost  inseparable, until one particular day, their friendship is put in danger  as Grandpa makes arrangements to plump up the turkeys for Thanksgiving.  Will Ben and his friends be able to save Tom?
 

Skeedaddle Chronicles: Tom's Tale was a pleasure to read. Children will  surely be hooked on every page as they read this wonderful story; they  will be entertained from the moment they begin reading. The author has  created a storyline that will warm the heart of any young reader. The  writing is simple to allow children to follow along easily and the  illustrations have been professionally designed. Skeedaddle is adorable!  With this being the first book of the series, Skeedaddle and his  friends are sure to go on new adventures that I know will be just as  enjoyable as this one. Keep up the good work, Robin Hollo. I hope I get  the chance to read the next book.