Rating: 
Summary: A charming story. . .
Review: . . .written by a loving father to console a weeping boy.On a seaside holiday with his family, Tolkien's 2nd child lost his toy dog on the beach. After hours of searching, it became clear that the toy was gone for good. Ever the master storyteller, Tolkien fashioned a tale about a little dog which annoys a magician and is turned into a toy and experiences all sorts of adventures under the sea and on the moon before being returned to his natural state and to his owner. Lovers of Tolkien have long known of the existence of this manuscript and it is a joy to see it finally in print. Wonderful for children of all ages. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: I really tried to like this book...
Review: But I couldn't get past 40 pages before giving up. I know, it's a children's book, and Tolkien was busy with The Silmarillion (this book was finished in 1925, The Silimarillion started at 1919 and ended at 1973.), but the story's WAY TOO FAST! I couldn't finish this book without saying "Why? Why? Why did I read it?" I'm giving it 2 stars because this is just Tolkien and it was just a children's story, way before his genius came into being in 1935 with The Hobbit.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT just for 'Tolkien completists'
Review: Don't think that this is a book only for hardcore Tolkien fans, like The Lost Tales or whatever. In fact, some of the hardcore fans--the kind that dress up like elves and things like that--probably won't even like it. It's a silly little story about a small dog who bites a wizard on the behind and gets turned into a toy, and then goes on to have a number of adventures on the moon and under the sea. What I liked about the book is its wonderful freedom from the strictest constraints of plot, and Tolkien's whimsical willingness to throw whatever takes his fancy--like the musical plants one finds on the moon. But the story still flows for all that, and it's mostly quite coherent and wholly fun to read. More than once, even!
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Summary: Ode to a lost toy
Review: For a little kid, losing a favorite toy is downright traumatic. So in 1925, when four-year-old Michael lost his little toy dog on the beach, fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien made up a story to comfort his son. It explained away the loss of the toy, and wove a magical story around a little dog named Rover. Rover is an ordinary little puppy near the seaside in England, until he runs into a grumpy old man and ends up biting off part of his pants. The old man happens to be a wizard (Artaxerxes by name), and promptly transforms Rover into a toy dog (and no, I don't mean a tiny dog -- I mean a real toy). Rover subsequently gets picked up and sold to some little boys (presumably the Tolkien kids). Fortunately, Rover encounters another magical being, a crusty, kindly sand-wizard named Psamathos. That wizard, in turn, gets Rover (who is renamed Roverandom) flown to the moon, where he spends time with the Man in the Moon and his winged dog Rover. And then he's heading off to encounter a talking whale, a mer-dog, a sea serpent -- and a dragon. Like the vastly underrated "Farmer Giles of Ham," "Roverandom" is a charming little bit of whimsy. No deep themes, no epic clashes, not even really a villain. The writing is charming and magical, with phrases like "There was a cold wind blowing off the North Star" sprinkled through it. It almost gives the feeling of being in another world. Best of all, in the middle of the book are Tolkien's own illustrations, cute little drawings and ethereal paintings. Rover is well-named, since his adventures are all over the map and don't really progress from one to the other. It's merely a cute little dog roaming over the moon, the ocean, and the land, conversing with shrimps and bothering wizards. He's an outspoken little guy, but likeable. The grumpy wizards are also excellently done, reminiscent of Gandalf. While "Roverandom" is a book aimed at children, adults may enjoy the whimsical humor and beautiful writing. A charming and timeless story.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice little children's story -- but Tolkien's done better!
Review: Granted, this is a book written for Tolkien's children, and it does contain some nice little word-play elements -- but lets face it: This is not a literary masterpiece -- but niether is it trash either. With Tolkien's children's fiction, with the exception of THE HOBBIT, its not so much the quality of it but the fact that it exists. These activities culiminated in the composistion of THE HOBBIT. When Allen & Unwin accepted it for publication and it became a runaway hit, they wanted more about 'hobbits'. This book, MR. BLISS, THE LOST ROAD, and THE SILMARILLION (OF BEREN & LUTHIEN, the poetic form, was submitted with perhaps FARMER GILES as well)found its way to the publishing house in 1937. But Sir Stanely Unwin wanted not these but a hobbit sequel, of which we all know what happened with that. This being said, ROVERANDOM shows Tolkien delighting in the position of a story teller for his children. The love and warmth shows clearly in these pages, and while its not the best thing ever written, it does have its charms. Largely, however, this work is for Tolkien completists, and by and large will not win over any fans. But if you looking for a book to read to your younger children and you want it to be Tolkien, this is a good choice. But if they're a little older, give 'em the real meat and introduce them to that lovable Bilbo Baggins. Its worth a look, but not necessarily a second or third.
Rating:
Summary: Roverandom is a great book
Review: I feel that Roverandom, although short, is a good book. If you are wondering whether or not to read it, I think you should. This story of a dog that is turned into a toy and then sent to the moon is fun for all ages!
Rating:
Summary: Roverandum is a lovely little story.
Review: I quite enjoyed Roverandum and thought it very enchanting and pleasant.It had lovely descriptions and very pleasing and interesting characters. Some may think it too cute or rather pale beside of The Lord of the Rings but you have to remember that this story was orginally written for a child.It reminded me of the Doctor Dolittle books which have also been called rather whimsy and cute. Anyway Roverandum is a nice little story, pure humor and enchantment.
Rating:
Summary: Quite entertaining
Review: In 1925, during a vacation on the Yorkshire coast, J.R.R. Tolkien's four-year-old son Michael lost his favorite toy dog. To console Michael, his father spun out a tale of where the toy dog had come from and where he went. This is that story. A young dog named Rover is happily playing with his yellow rubber ball when he meets a cross old man. Rover sends the man on his way, tearing his trousers in the process. Sadly for Rover, the old man is Artaxerxes, a powerful wizard from Persia. (When Artaxerxes had become lost and asked for directions, someone had become confused and gave him directions to Pershore!) Artaxerxes turns Rover into a toy dog, and sends him off. This is the start of an epic quest for Rover, who meets a sand-wizard, the Man-in-the-Moon, the great dragons that live on the moon, the many merfolk living at the bottom of the ocean, and a delightful little boy. This gentle story is quite entertaining. The story is wonderful in a slow, gentle way that seems irreproducible today. It is great for children. Complete with a group of illustrations drawn by the great J.R.R. himself, and some notes at the end to explain certain names and so forth, this is a great buy.
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Summary: This is no epic tale
Review: Nor, do I think, was it intended to be. There is no battle between Good and Evil. The characters are not larger than life. It is not a morality tale (unless you're in the habit of biting the trousers of strange wizards). This story seemed to me more A.A. Milne than Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. The title is perfect. The adventures of Rover are pretty darn random. But you've ever worked with first graders, you know that a child's world (and mind) is filled with randomness. The humor is delightfully British. Take for instance, this excerpt in which Rover (after being turned into a toy and bought by the mother) is taken home in a bag with various other purchased items (bear in mind that, at this early point in the story, Rover is a rather cheeky little pup): "Rover soon managed to wriggle his head out of the paper. He smelt cake. But he found he could not get at it; and right down there among the paper bags he growled a little toy growl. Only the shrimps heard him, and they asked him what was the matter. He told them all about it, and expected them to be very sorry for him, but they only said:
'How would you like to be boiled? Have you ever been boiled?'
'No! I have never been boiled, as far as I remember,' said Rover, 'though I have sometimes been bathed, and that is not particularly nice. But I expect boiling isn't half as bad as being bewitched.'
'Then you have certainly never been boiled,' they answered. 'You know nothing about it. It's the very worst thing that could happen to anyone - we are still red with rage at the very idea.'
Rover did not like the shrimps, so he said: 'Never mind, they will soon eat you up, and I shall sit and watch them!'
After that the shrimps had no more to say to him, and he was left to lie and wonder what sort of people had bought him." Yes, this is a children's book. But I bought and read it halfway through a very grueling masters program, and it was just the escape from academia that I needed. It's absurd, and silly, and light-hearted, and absolutely wonderful. I recommend it for children of all ages, especially the grown up children who need a quick breath of magic to liven up the reality of adulthood.
Rating:
Summary: I tried to like this book but couldn't
Review: Not that I disliked it; I just couldn't get into it. The characters seem to be introduced too fast and I didn't feel as if I knew enough about them to care. This book didn't have the pacing or, more importantly, the ambiance of The Hobbit; never mind anything else. If it had those two elements, I would have enjoyed it more. Still, the book had some nice imagery and dialogue and would be a good way to wean younger readers on Tolkien's later books.
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