Geronimo Stilton - Quest for Paradise product reviews

My daughter received this book for Christmas last year and absolutely loved it and has since read it several more times. It is the second book in the series of the kingdom of fantasy where once again Geronimo Stilton returns to the kingdom of fantasy and explores the many different lands to find the heart of happiness for the queen.

My daughter really enjoyed the many lands such as the kingdom of the fairies, land of the witches and the land of the ogres. The book is packed full of bright illustrations that bring the lands to life. My daughter also likes these books as they have interactive/educational pieces such as games where you find the matching pictures. I feel like the book has a really nice message about happiness, my favourite quotation from the book is "a smile and a kind word is all it takes to spread joy because happiness is contagious.

Another good thing about the book is it is easy reading and the print is clear and easy to understand. I like how the fonts are changed to add interest

Aimed at a young market this book is a little chaotic to read really. I found the constant change of letter colours and styles to be difficult to read in a smooth and steady fashion, and when you are reading to young under coloured lights some of the words can almost vanish.
The structure of the story, the way it is laid out in the book, and the frequent little "pop up panels" throughout giving extra bits of information are far from normal Western Culture literature norms, but I wonder if that has to do with the fact that this book is an English version of an Italian book. I can't say I have read much in the way of Italian children's literature or any of the previous 40+ Stilton books, so I can't say for sure. All I do know is that reading this was a slow and stuttering affair that still seemed to entertain the young audience as they snuggled into bed each night.
The illustrations were wonderful. Clean and colourful (where appropriate), and certainly EVERYWHERE throughout the book. There were even some interactive pages, where the young readers had to hunt down Crystal Keys, translate messages from Fantasian into English, and other such entertainments.
All in all, though I wouldn't be quick to buy this book myself, any parent with kids aged up to about 8 years old may be wise to check their local library for a Stilton book, and if your kids love it/them, then pop out and buy your own copies. If I am right, they will get well used.