Oddfellow's Orphanage

This is a really cute children's book by Emily Martin. I've been a longtime fan of her Black Apple website, and have followed her lovely illustrations of the little orphans since I discovered her artwork years ago. Now that my daughter is old enough to read, I decided to buy her this book for us to read together. She was delighted with both the characters and the story, and couldn't wait to begin each new chapter. This is a delightful book and I recommend it to anyone who appreciates a whimsical story and beautifully drawn characters.

I purchased this book because my daughter and I loved Snow and Rose. It is different but really great as well. My daughter was 7 at the time of reading it and she absolutely loved it! She could read it herself but we chose it as her bedtime story so I read it aloud to her. I would find her rereading what we read the night before. She was inspired and spoke of the characters often! Such a fun thing to share with her! I only wish there was more to it! It was a quick read.

Both my daughter and I are huge fans of Miss Emily of the Black Apple's work. The illustrations of this magical book are delightful and the story is packed with imaginative characters. I bought this book for my daughter's 9th birthday (along with a print from the Black Apple!) and she immediately dove into it. She read it in bed, and brought it to school to read during silent reading time. It quickly became a popular title amongst her classmates. (I read it also!) I think this would be an excellent read aloud book for younger children too. I hope there will be more in the series!

I bought this as a holiday gift for a young girl in the 2nd grade who could fit seamlessly into one of Ms. Martin's whimsical stories herself! The Oddfellow's Orphanage story is enchanting, the illustrations are gorgeous, our whole family enjoyed it immensely. This version Amazon is selling is paperback though I prefer to buy hardback over paperback if and when available. Alas, it was not. (I already own the hardback version, but had hoped to get this one, which will be a gift, in hardback as well.) Highly recommend this book!

This sweet book was a pleasure to read aloud to my children, who wouldn't let me stop. We read it over two nights and they were begging for more after each chapter. The stories have just the right amount of detail for them to stay interested while also helping them imagine more. The soft pencil drawings are just precious. Having both boy and girl characters (and bears!) makes this book wonderful for young boy and girl readers. It would be a great gift. My oldest child (9) likes reading it herself. I'm sure my kids will be reading this to their children one day.

I really love this book and the illustrations, but you really don't want to cut the pages to make the dolls. Which is a little frustrating. So, if you want to have this book just to admire the art and whimsy, it's perfect. Also, if you did want to cut out the dolls, the paper just doesn't seem thick enough. It's fine for the clothing but the dolls just don't seem to be sturdy enough. And since the doll pages have printing on both sides, you would lose some text in the process. The backgrounds are ADORABLE, but since they are two pages (centerfold-like) you would destroy the middle taking them out of the book. Since the book doesn't open up flat, you can't fully appreciate the art either. Overall, I think the author and illustrator are amazing, but I think the publisher could have done a better job not making the construction of this book so frustrating.

My little one has really enjoyed this book. It fits in that special space where it is a chapter book but has lots of detailed drawings. I think this needs to be a series with more character development. Shouldn't be hard to do with such lovely and odd characters.

Great read aloud book for my 6 year old granddaughter. She gets bored with basic kids books. This has a unique plot and characters, so she is engaged.

I love the work of this illustrator and originally seen her work through the etsy shop The Black Apple. This book has lovely drawings and a great story. I would warn you that the illustrations inside the book are not in colour so are maybe more suitable for an older child. I have enjoyed looking at this book as an adult and can't wait until my daughter is old enough to enjoy it as a bedtime story.