Jonathan Gunson

This book is such a surprise! Goggles' story is full of magic, fun and whimsy all packed in tight with some of the most beautiful illustrations I've ever seen. Goggles wants to be a pilot but is so young and can barely fly his toy planes. Until, one magical night, his toy plane grows big and he has dreams of helping his Grandma and dropping candy to all who pass.

This book has some educational notes in the back about the first candy dropper (a person who flies an airplane and drops candy). It was quite sweet and I really thought it was a bonus!

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for more picture books to read to their children (or students!). It's highly engaging, beautiful and has a pinch of learning that is just enough to make it educational but still fun.

Five out of five stars.… (lisätietoja)

This book was published in 1998 and I immediately bought two copies - one for me and one for my mother: shortly after that my daughter was given a copy and my mother's best friend also bought one. I'm pretty useless at puzzles but mummy usually cracks them pretty quickly.

Months later though none of us were any further forward. In the end we all felt frustrated and, given the statement that this 'children's book' could be solved by a determined child, pretty stupid. The story itself was not up to much - the puzzle was the only reason we lept returning to the wretched book.

Over a decade later I am relieved to learn that NO ONE solved the puzzle. The money prize was donated to the World Wildlife Fund while the where-abouts of the treasures [wand, bracelet, oak chest etc etc] is in itself a mystery...

A so-called children's book containing a puzzle so hard that no-one is able to solve it rather defeats the purpose [entertainment, satisfaction] and since, as I mentioned before, the story is weak, this Merlin Mystery is remarkable only for its illustratations - which are decent, but hardly outstanding.… (lisätietoja)