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Ike's Incredible Ink    by Brianne Farley Amazon.com order for
Ike's Incredible Ink
by Brianne Farley
Order:  USA  Can
Candlewick, 2013 (2013)
Hardcover
* *   Reviewed by Bob Walch

We all know that often the journey is more interesting than the destination. That is certainly the case in this children's story about an ink blot named Ike. Yes, that's right. This is a story about an ink blot that sits down to write a story.

Like so many individuals with a task before them, Ike begins to procrastinate. He cleans his room, calls a friend and searches for his favorite pen. OK, now he's ready to write. Well, not quite!

Now Ike needs some new ink for his pen. This must be really special ink so Ike sets about creating this very special ink. The rest of the picture book traces Ike's search for the ink's super, special ingredients. Then, once they are found, Ike must go into his lab to formulate the special, dark liquid.

Once that's done Ike finally can sit down at his desk and begin to write an incredible story. Or not!

This whimsical story with its unusual main character shows how easily we can be distracted when we set out to do something. While I choose to see Ike's inability to get started on his story as a sign of procrastination, you may see it as Ike just waiting for inspiration. That's what is fun about this story – you can read what you want into it.

Although it is intended for an audience of readers four and older, Ike's Incredible Ink may well resonate with a much older audience. You might want to send a copy of it to a friend who has been talking for ages about writing a memoir or some other type of story, but never quite got around to it!

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