Over the past few months, I have
received many boxing books, dealing with everything, from fighter’s
biographies, to medical issues, to teen-oriented stories. One of them
is a special book called Josie the Boxing Penguin (ISBN
9781462603831, 2011, Publish America,
Publishamerica.com,
all rights reserved) by Sixto Lopez.
It is, as you may have guessed, a
children’s book dealing with boxing. Well, more accurately, with a
children’s character who is a boxer. Now it is hard for me to come
with a review seen from the eyes of a child because I am not a child,
even if I act like one in many ways and even if my heart is that of
one. And although I tried for my two best children book critics to
take a look at it, they, my niece Nina, 7 and nephew John, 2,
preferred to play ultra cool IPOD games and with toy cars and action
figures, to checking out this book. So I will have to give you my
review from an adult’s point of view. Well, at least from the point
of view of an adult who is still a kid at heart.
You know, when I was a kid, without
pointing at anyone in particular, I always rooted for whom I
considered to be the “good guy” in boxing, against someone else I
perceived, maybe not to be the bad guy necessarily, but someone less
good at least. Now, in real life, we know sometimes that things
aren’t that simple. I just believe that God helps one person over
the other because He knows what is best. Now, I do not know, say,
Bernard Hopkins in person, but I was not too happy when he threw my
country’s flag around before his fight with “Tito” Trinidad. My
nation’s….because whatever some people might tell you, Puerto
Rico is a country apart from the United States. A territory of the
United States, yes, but nevertheless….
In Josie the Boxing Penguin, Josie, a
female penguin, is the main character. She fights the perceived bad
guy, a killer whale. Now, you know that ordinarily, a killer whale
fighting a penguin would be like when Mike Tyson faced Peter
McNeeley. Ok, ok, maybe I am exaggerating. Maybe the whale versus the
penguin would be an evener fight than that. But this is a children’s
story. Josie is confident, valiant, armed with a winning attitude as
well as a murderous jab, cross and hook. Plus she can fly like a
butterfly, just like Muhammad Ali!!
There is a pint of a feminist message
towards the end of the story, as Josie is declared to be a girl and
basically, the end line tells us that girls can achieve. Josie
actually being a neutral name, the description of Josie as a girl
could have been avoided, thus making Josie a character that’s
likeable to both boys and girls. This matter becomes stranger when
you realize that the story’s writer is (or at least the ghost
writer’s name used is) a male, Sixto Lopez.
That point withstanding, the book is a
short, entertaining and colorful book that a boxing loving child like
I was…heck any child for that matter, would enjoy! Josie is shown
on the cover with pink boxing gloves on (ala Floyd Mayweather
Junior), with darkish purple very prominent in the background. She is
drawn inside a ring. Visually, it will be attractive to your
children. Josie is amiable, if actually unsmiling, but when she
fights, she has the comic book version of Sonny Liston’s scowl!
The book’s overall message to
children is that no matter what the odds, we can overcome anything. A
message that many of us grown-ups can use sometimes too.
Josie the Boxing Penguin does not score
a knockout. However, she does win every round in route to a wide
unanimous decision and into reader’s hearts.
Please send all Questions and comments to Antonio at TJ69662094@aol.com.
CHECK IT OUT!!!!
Check out the
New Improved Forums here at Doghouse Boxing (Ipad, Mobile, Android and YouTube friendly.) Check out the Dog Pound and have your say at:
http://forums.doghouseboxing.com/
--
For much more boxng headlines, news, videos, interviews and more, visit the homepage at
DoghouseBoxing.
Write for Doghouse Boxing:
anthonyc1974@gmail.com.
NEW: Follow Doghouse Boxing on FaceBook!
For more Boxing News 24/7 and so much more...
visit our homepage now!
