The Legend of Lizard Lick

A North Carolina Folktale

Children - Animals
36 Pages
Reviewed on 07/22/2013
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Author Biography

Karen Matthews is a technical writer and the owner of Carolina Souvenirs, a company developing fresh new souvenir products for the North and South Carolina tourist markets. She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Alabama. She lives with her husband, Richard, on a small farm in Sanford, North Carolina.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Michelle Robertson for Readers' Favorite

The Legend Of Lizard Lick: A North Carolina Folktale, written by Mrs Karen Marie Matthews, can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. The layout and design of the book are of five star quality. The pictures and words are placed perfectly on the pages to accentuate the story as each individual section dictates. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and colored to offer a friendly and fun viewing experience for young readers.

The Legend of Lizard Lick: A North Carolina Folktale tells how a small town got its name. A grandfather and grandson are chatting. Like most children, the boy asks a question and the grandfather answers with a creative, fun story, filled with imaginative figures of talking frogs and lizards. When a drought began to dry up the pond they all called home, the frogs and lizards quarreled. They were no longer friendly to each other. A war had started. To end the nonsense and restore peace, a sports event was created to determine who would stay at the pond and who would leave.

Author Karen Matthews and illustrator Josh Taylor worked magic with this tale. This scenario is familiar in many homes: A grandfather tells an elaborate story to his grandchild. I felt at home with the book, and connected because of the stories I used to hear when I was young, about how a place got its name or how a person got their nick name. People love to feel connected to the stories they read, and the author and illustrator have achieved that here. I enjoyed reading a note to the parents at the end about the actual happenings of how the town got its name. A little history lesson, created in a way to amuse a child and, without them even knowing, teach them. Bravo, Karen and Josh. A job well done.