Are you looking for a new book for your child to read this summer? If so, The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot, written by Josh Gottsegen, will be released on June 23, 2020 and it’s a book that will appeal to those who love the fantasy genre. I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review but as always, all opinions are my own. Keep reading to find out more about the book, including age recommendations.
The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot: A Parent’s Book Review
The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot, written by Josh Gottsegen, is not your traditional children’s novel. While many children’s novels focus on singular adventures or connected events, Gottsegen takes the long view and invites his readers to follow the entire life of his protagonist, the titular Rockford T. Honeypot. In doing so, Gottsegen focuses on the long term personal relationships between his characters and how those relationships can fall apart, improve, or diminish over time. By focusing on these interpersonal relationships, especially Rockford’s relationships, Gottsegen has created a very empathetic novel that strives to teach its target audience, pre-adolescent children, values of love, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness, as well as self-respect.
An Origin Story
The novel is framed as a recounting of the life of Rockford T. Honeypot, a chipmunk and a successful businessman. The world that Rockford lives in, Tropland, is a world inhabited by intelligent chipmunks, squirrels, praire-dogs, beavers, shrews and other rodents and small lizards. Tropland in some ways is modern with its own versions of cell phones and social media, but also rustic, as most of Rockford’s adventures happen in the forest and rivers of the world and the homes are built in trees and other natural features. Rockford (who the reader learns in the beginning of the novel) is a great-grandpa and successful and influential businessman. When confronted by some of his admirers in a neighborhood store, Rockford, whose life is somewhat of a mystery to most of the inhabitants of Tropland, begins to recount his life adventures and how he, from humble beginnings after being abandoned by his parents and bullied by neighborhood kids, became one of the most successful chipmunks in the world.
Is The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot appropriate for kids?
The book deals with mature subject matters, so overall, I would recommend it for children 10 years old and older. However, the book is easy to follow and its target audience will not be confused by what is happening. One of Gottsegen’s strengths is the rich descriptions and detail he provides - it’s easy for the reader to envision the novel’s locations like Green Hut 39 and the Blue Butterfly. The book also focuses on business, failure, marriage, and other seemingly adult topics. In doing so, Gottsegen does not shy away from real world issues in his fantasy world. While I would have liked to dive more deeply into some of Rockford’s adventures, the novel moves along at a smooth pace and is consistent in tone and prose throughout. The overall message of the novel is a good one for everyone: learn from your failures, treasure your friends, and never stop exploring.
Where to Buy The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot
The book will be available to purchase on paperback, as well as eBook, on June 23, 2020. It can be purchased on Amazon by clicking here as well as on Apple by clicking here.
Coloring Pages
If your children like to color, then you’ll also want to print out the coloring pages linked to the graphic below 🙂
About The Adventures of Rockford T. Honeypot
As a young chipmunk, shy, bookish Rockford T. Honeypot had dreams of thrilling adventures across the forest. However, timid of danger and germs, his only adventures were found in books and his imagination. When his family abandons him after a mistake that destroys their hazelnut business, Rockford sets off on a legendary journey beyond his wildest dreams. From exploring cuisines with a famous chef, training with ancient warrior monks, flying on giant hawks, finding true love, and much more, Rockford recounts his epic origin story of hardship, perseverance, and fortune.
Good article. Sounds very interesting.