Ingrid has everything a Viking wants, a best friend, kittens, a good home. But she would like to enter and win the Strongest Viking Contest. However, the thing stopping her? she can’t swim. She sinks. But she trains and when the day comes, she gets to prove how strong a strong Viking really is. Doug Cenko’s Viking Strong is funny. If you like kittens and cats, there are a lot of amusing parts with them. There are lots of dressing up our kittens, racing our kittens, getting attacked by kittens, and tripping over our kittens.
The artwork is contemporary, amusing and it a character by itself. You see lots of details, busy colors (I liked how they used purple), and a mixture of a classic story and modern as well. There is a nice message (do your best, try hard, and be yourself) but it is also just a funny story about the smallest contestant going up against some big, bad, Vikings, and kittens. Most ages can enjoy it, but it is best for ages five and up. And while it could be a good read aloud, I am leaning towards more of a one-on-one read.
I read this via an online reader copy, but I am assuming it might be a larger sized picture book. The older reader would appreciate the story, but this format might turn them off. However, it is good for that first to third grader as well. It is due July 2023. This was a good book, not my favorite, but one I will read again, and do recommend. Good for people looking for “girl power” books.
