Review of "Kyle and His Pal Jake: What a Duo These Two Make!" by Dr. Christian Kueng

​Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)

We continue to be immensely impressed by author Christian Kueng and illustrator Nana Melkadze!

Time and time again this author-illustrator combo has gripped and amazed us with the stories and characters they've brought to life in their children's books. ALL of these books have been above average to stellar, and they just seem to get better and better and better:

- Digger the Colony Worker Ant (9.4 out of 10)
- Can We Get a Rhinoceros? (9.5+ out of 10)
- Caleb's Adventures with Granddad (9.6 out of 10)

And now we have Kyle and His Pal Jake: What a Duo These Two Make!, which sits right up there with Kueng's very best work!

This book, along with Caleb's Adventures with Granddad, really exemplifies why Kueng's children's books are so great. Yes, above-average, appealing illustrations are a must. However, there's something more than that. Kueng is a masterful storyteller and crafter of compelling, likable, and relatable characters, somewhat like fellow children's author Sally Kashner and fantasy author David V. Mammina (strange comparison, we know). Kueng's books aren't just flashy. They aren't just cute. They aren't just fun. They're more than that.

They touch you. They grip you. They move you.
All of the human characters in Kyle and His Pal Jake: What a Duo These Two Make! genuinely feel like real people who actually exist. There's something unmistakable, authentically real and human about them.

How about this: none of the characters wear the exact same clothes for more than a few pages. They're constantly changing clothes, like real people would in real life. No, not just Kyle (the main character), but also Wendy and the other characters. That's such a great attention to detail!

Furthermore...

They have personalities. They have drives. They have dreams. They have motives. They have little things that bother them and little things that get a rise out of them. They have concerns. They have setbacks.

And, like the books itself:
They have substance. They have heart. They have something to say.

Kyle and His Pal Jake is actually one of Kueng's more quietly powerful books in that regard. On the surface, it is a fun story about a kid and his ventriloquist dummy, the sort of thing that feels like it came straight out of an old variety show. Under the surface, it is about shame, peer pressure, finding your voice, and then using that voice to help someone else.

That is a lot of depth for a picture book about a puppet.

We start with Kyle as a kid who is absolutely laser focused on his craft. He is not just playing with a doll. He is practicing in the bathroom mirror, studying old black and white ventriloquist tapes, putting on shows in the garage, and dreaming big. It is adorable, yes, but it is also so relatable if you have ever had a child who is weirdly obsessed with one thing and wants to show it off to everyone.

Then the story shifts. Kyle grows a little older, and suddenly the thing that made him special becomes the thing that gets him laughed at. The cruel joke is not just that the other kids tease him, it is the particular jab they use: that he is "playing with a doll." That one line carries a lot. It hints at gender stereotypes, social norms, and the way some kids will weaponize anything that looks different.

Kueng does not belabor this point or turn it into a lecture. Instead, we simply see the result. Kyle puts Jake away. Literally. The puppet gets boxed and banished to the attic, and with it, a part of Kyle gets boxed away too.

Fast forward to adulthood and we find Kyle again, now a third grade teacher at his old school. This is where Kueng really shines as a storyteller. A lot of children's books stop with the kid learning to be themselves and winning over the class. Here, we see what happens when a child grows up, carries their experiences with them, and has the chance to turn those experiences into empathy.

Adult Kyle is a terrific character. He is the kind of teacher most of us wish we had. He dresses up in costumes, he plays games to teach math, and he is always trying to make learning fun and memorable. Yet he is also observant and sensitive. He notices Wendy, the quiet girl who barely talks. He worries about her. He wants to help, but he does not want to traumatize her by putting her on the spot.

Then a box arrives from his mother with pieces of his childhood. Old glove. Old plane. Old books. And, under it all, Jake.

This is one of our favorite little storytelling touches in the book. The return of Jake is not some big magical event with thunder and sparkles. It is a simple, almost mundane moment of an adult going through an old box and reconnecting with who he used to be. That is so authentic. Many of us have had that feeling of rediscovering an old passion while cleaning out a closet or attic.

Kyle realizes that the very thing he once hid away in shame might now be the key to reaching a child who feels left out and voiceless.

When he brings Jake into the classroom, Kueng and illustrator Nana Melkadze let the images do a lot of the heavy lifting. The kids light up. The classroom feels suddenly brighter and more alive. The puppet gives Kyle a playful new persona to speak through. Kids who might be too shy or self conscious to talk directly to a teacher are suddenly eager to address Jake.

One of the most beautiful little moments is when Jake addresses Wendy's silence. Instead of pressuring her to talk, instead of making her "the project," he says something to the effect that he does not talk much either unless there is something important to say. That line is so simple, but it is deeply validating for quiet kids. It tells them, "You are not broken. You are not failing at childhood. You are just you, and that is alright."

That is a thoughtful and emotionally intelligent choice on Kueng's part. A lesser book might have ended with Wendy suddenly turning into a chatterbox and giving a big speech, complete with applause. Here, we get something more honest and gentle: the beginning of connection, not a forced transformation.

Meanwhile, Nana Melkadze's illustrations continue to be a huge asset to Kueng's stories. Her art style is bright, rounded, and friendly, with characters who are expressive without ever tipping into exaggerated cartoonishness. She strikes a really nice balance between "picture book cute" and "real kids in a real place." One of our favorite illustrations is of the talent show that Kyle won when he was little. No, it's not Kyle himself that impressed us, it's that the two other background characters are rounded out and given unique, distinguishable characteristics that distinguish them. One is a magician. The other is a ballerina with a chipped tooth, which kinda tells you she might be clumsy and prone to slip ups and falls. Even the elderly man giving Kyle the award is hunched over and squinting, showing that he's a guy who has been through a lot in life.

The spread of Kyle's childhood garage show feels like a tiny theater production, complete with scattered sports gear and neighborhood kids plopped down to watch. And all the neighborhood kids are unique and distinguishable.

The middle school teasing scene is powerfully told mostly through body language. Kyle's shoulders slope forward, his eyes are down, and the group of kids is clustered together with those telltale laughing faces. You do not need much text to understand how that feels. Even these mocking children are of different genders and races, showing that the toxic pressure of peer pressure and the drive to fit can impact anyone.

The classroom scenes later on are vibrant and full of little details, from the diverse group of students to the decorations and props. Melkadze's backgrounds are never just blank filler. They help immerse readers in the setting and give them plenty to look at.

And here's where Kyle shines even more. You can tell he's an incredible, passionate, and caring teacher.

Wendy is actually an incredible supporting character even though she barely says anything throughout the book. She impacts both Kyle and the plot immensely, which says a lot (ironically). If it wasn't for her, Kyle wouldn't have been sent his old toys, which means that he wouldn't have reunited with Jake the Dummy. An almost mute, silent character accomplished that!

Wendy is also cute, relatable, and expressive. You can't root against her. How could you?
You want to see her come out of her shell and be successful as much as Kyle does.

Oh, and by the way, the jokes that the characters make with Jake the Dummy are actually funny and clever, which is like a cherry on top of a banana split.

Another thing that's great is how Kueng is able to use his own experience as an educator and a ventriloquist to make the events and characters in this book as authentic and realistic as can be!

Check it out on Amazon!