Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

War at the Ice Cream Store is a super fun book with a great message. I read the interactive multimedia version, which included videos of Frank TL Frogg and friends narrating the story with every turn of the page. At the end of the book, there is a song sang in a Southern tune summarizing the story. The song is quite catchy and is sure to be a hit with kids. I found myself singing along!

The story is about the ice cream flavor vanilla (Bully Vanilli) who bullies the flavor pistachio (Mustachio Pistachio) because he is the least favorite. But Bully learns a valuable lesson when the other flavors, toppings, and ice cream tools show Bully Vanilli that he thinks too highly of himself. Without them, he is quite plain.

Parents reading this book with their young ones will enjoy the many witty puns used throughout the narrative. I chuckled a few times. What a fun book! The authors' talents are quite evident in this colorful book full of imagination and community feeling. The Frozen Frog ice cream store is filled with interesting characters that rallied together to bring about change.

I know my kids (now grown) would have loved this book because of the puppet characters that come alive on video to tell them the story. I think interactive books are a good way to get an immersive experience for children, especially those who are reluctant readers or who like songs related to a book they read.

Cheryl is an award-winning songwriter, children's song recording artist (as the cartoon character CADi Grace), and the co-creator of the puppet musical and comedy show, The Waterhole Bunch. After the success of The Waterhole Bunch, Cheryl along with co-creator Dave Gibson, spun off the main character, Frank TL (The Lucky) Frogg, into a children’s entertainment concept, Frank TL Frogg and Friends, featuring the puppets in a magical town called Lucky Fork, Tennessee. Frank TL Frogg and Friends includes books, songs, videos, games, and more for younger audiences. War at the Ice Cream Store is the first of the Frank TL Frogg and Friends children’s book series.

Dave is an award-winning Nashville-based songwriter, having written hundreds of hit songs for artists including Alabama, Montgomery Gentry and Marie Osmond. Dave’s own group, The Gibson/Miller Band, won the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Award for a best new group in the early nineties. He is the co-creator of the puppet musical and comedy show, The Waterhole Bunch. After the success of The Waterhole Bunch, Dave, along with co-creator Cheryl DaVeiga, spun off the main character, Frank TL (The Lucky) Frogg, into a children’s entertainment concept, Frank TL Frogg and Friends, featuring the puppets in a magical town called Lucky Fork, Tennessee. Frank TL Frogg and Friends includes books, songs, videos, games, and more for younger audiences. War at the Ice Cream Store is the first of the Frank TL Frogg and Friends children’s book series.

Ends April 2, 2021