In The Tocks On The Clock by Jozef Richards, we are introduced to a little girl named Desi who wants to show everyone each hour on the clock and which Tock or creature lives in each one. Each hour has a strange and unusual creature that has its own personality. From the Phloon at noon who likes to sing sad songs to the Yeven at seven that you really don’t want to disturb. Desi takes us through the hours on the clock, introducing us to each Tock. There are fun Tocks and there are scary Tocks but each one will help you remember each hour of the day until we hit midnight when the Zight wishes you goodnight and then we start the clock all over again.

I thought The Tocks On The Clock was a very creative and fun read. It’s a great way to teach children the hours on the clock and how to tell time. Each hour has a character that makes it easy for kids to remember. I know from experience that time telling can be difficult for some children, especially when a clock isn’t digital. This is a perfect book to help hone those skills. The illustrations are also beautifully done and fit perfectly with the storyline. They bring these creatures to life and each one is unique in a way that will make them memorable to the young reader. Jozef Richards has done a wonderful job bringing these characters to life and I can’t stress enough how important and valuable this book will be for kids. I look forward to reading more of their work.

Jozef K. Richards writes and illustrates a fantastical tale of time in The Tocks on the Clock. If the face on your clock could talk, what story would it tell? Desi and her pet companions are about to find out! Desi along with her dog, Lola, and her cat, Jack, embark on an adventure into the magical land of the Tocks. The Tocks are mythical creatures residing within the realm of numbers located on the clock. Beginning at noon with the Phloon, the trio enters the mysterious land of time. As they journey, Desi, Lola, and Jack discover the monster that dwells within each numbered land. As the time travelers arrive at their final destination, twelve hours have passed. Their adventurous passage through time has come to an end. Desi and her pets say goodbye to their day, as the midnight Zight wishes them a good night.

The Tocks on the Clock penned by Jozef K. Richards is an interesting approach to the concept of time. Children first learn about time through childhood experiences and events. However, this fantasy-driven story goes beyond the simple preschool understanding of bedtime or even storytime. Nonetheless, the rhyme scheme has an engaging cadence and keeps to a nice beat which youngsters love. The illustrations are detailed and complement the text; however, they are a bit advanced in tone for a traditional picture book audience of four to six years of age. The theme of telling time is illustrated in many clever ways: the use of Roman numerals, using the terms noon and midnight, and the inclusion of the childhood classic poem of Hickory, Dickory, Dock.

Desi, the main character is a serious adventurer. She enters each land with a bright-eyed interest and caution. However, her side-kick dog Lola is a fun-loving explorer. Jack acts aloof, but of course, he is curious – he’s a cat. The Tocks are unique creatures, monsters to observe, not to play with, and Desi and her friends watch from a distance. These character illustrations portray the diversity of how we approach and observe time. The Tocks on the Clock by Jozef K. Richards creatively unlocks the mysterious passage of time.

There are twelve numbers on every clock. Do you know what they are? They’re spaced equally around the circle and each one is as important as the other. Did you know that someone lives at each number? They’re called Tocks. There’s Phloon who lives at noon, Grun who lives at one, Lou who lives at two, and so on. Each one of the Tocks has a special task, a special something that identifies them from all the other Tocks, just like we do. Desi and her cat and dog are on a fantastical journey around the clock, visiting all the Tocks and learning about their numbers and their importance on the time they represent.

Jozef K. Richards’ picture book story, The Tocks on the Clock, is a clever way to teach young readers about numbers and telling time (the old-fashioned way without a digital window with the exact numbers flashing). The plot follows young Desi’s journey which begins with the number ‘12’ at the top of the clock, which identifies noon. Each consecutive number is paired with a fun, imaginative creature who identifies him/herself with that number. The story is told in lyrical rhyming verse and the colorful illustrations are a bonus. The story is both entertaining and educational and lots of fun. Some of the imaginary creatures that represent the Tocks will certainly give the young reader a few chuckles, while others, those during the nighttime hours, might appear somewhat frightening. This is a great way to teach numbers and telling time in simple language that young readers can follow along to improve their reading skills.

The Tocks on the Clock, written and illustrated by Jozef K. Richards, is not your typical learning to tell time book. We accompany a young girl and her pet dog and cat as they journey through an imaginary land filled with tocks. Each number on the clock is represented by an unusual creature. The rhyming story starts at noon and ends at midnight. Each tock lives in a unique setting from an office to a zoo to a cave. Also scattered throughout the illustrations are several clocks, some with roman numerals. The premise of the book is not to teach a child to tell time but to introduce them in a fanciful way to an analog clock.

Jozef K. Richards has created some interesting and unusual tocks. Some of them look quite pleasant while others will make kids squeal "Ooh, gross." All of them will immerse kids in an imaginary land like Dr. Seuss's creations do. I enjoyed the girl and her pets as they ventured into each scene. One of my favorites is the cave, where they need to do some spelunking to find the Yeven. The rhymes flow very well which makes this a good story to read aloud. The Tocks on the Clock is a book that will introduce curious kids to clocks and the basic premise of how they work. I can see kids wanting to study the illustrations and maybe even count the clocks they find. Adults will get a chuckle out of some of the pictures too, especially at the zoo.

Great book for kids.