Claris: Bonjour Riviera
by Megan Hess
4 out of 5 stars

Claris the Paris mouse is on her way to the French Riviera for a holiday with her best friend, Monsieur Cat. They pack their bags with chic ensembles by Dior, Gucci, Prada, and Pucci. They travel with style in a Louis Vuitton bag to a glamorous hotel where they see movie stars. But Claris meets a beautiful songbird who is in trouble, and the two are tossed into a wild adventure aboard a fancy yacht.

I loved the beautiful illustrations in this book! The colors are bright, and the lines are delicate. Each scene is designed to give the story more depth. I did feel like some of the artwork is just cut and pasted from one page to the other with only a wardrobe change to make it different. I would have appreciated separate art for each page, instead of copies of the same facial expressions.

Sweet little Claris is adorable, and I love all her pretty clothes. She is the epitome of elegance and refinement, but with a heart of compassion and humility. She’s so cute!

I liked how the story sets the scene of a fashionable holiday, but there is also some action and adventure. It kept my interest and made me laugh! The text is in rhyme, and it works pretty well. The rhymes aren’t always the best, but they are fine. The rhythm of each line doesn’t always exactly match, but it was okay. It’s not Milton or Shakespeare, but it does a good job of telling the story. (I have a pet peeve with children’s books being written in bad poetry, so I’m overly critical of this aspect of the writing. Other people would probably not notice it at all.)

This book is so adorable! I can’t wait to read more Claris books!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.