A Storybook and a Reference

There is one more Pokémon thing that I took away from my recent travels to see a concert that just didn't happen as intended - as in, not at all. After the festivities of last Sunday's Pokémon Go Community Day (or lack of them), I took to exploring some shops near the place where I took part in Community Day. One of them is a bookstore that sold all kinds of books, including... Pokémon books! Knowing that, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get one book to satisfy my attraction and as a memento of my travels.

Four in one, and...

That book is as you see here. It's titled Storybook Treasury because, also as evident on the front cover, it's actually made up of four books in one. I've skimmed through the entire book, and I can say that this is true; some parts of the book repeat in what is present on the pages, and the individual "parts" are meant to be separate books. Even so, the contents of the parts seem different from one repetition to another, so some mental synthesis may be in order. Also, though "storybook" indicates that this book is written for young readers - and in fact, this was where the book was indexed in the bookstore - I dare say that some parts may be slightly hard to understand for some readers, though slightly older readers and Pokémon fans may be able to understand the book more fully.

The theme of the book is of course Pokémon, but it specifically deals with the creatures that bear this name. Some human characters also appear and make the book more lively, and one of them happens to be none other than... Ash Ketchum himself. Some other characters related to him also appear in the book, many of which are additionally connected to the most recent Alola saga. Because of that, this book is quite influenced by the Pokémon anime, which now appears more oriented to younger viewers than ever these days. I find nothing wrong with that, and that makes me enjoy the book personally.

Guess who?

As for the "reference" part, which I've mentioned in the the title of this post, after having skimmed through the book, I'd say that it is as much a reference book as it is a storybook. The reason is that the individual Pokémon are explained in their characteristics in almost an encyclopedic manner, and therefore it is like (or in some ways, rather is) a reference book. It's not quite in-depth as a real reference book devoted to Pokémon would be, but that goes back to the intent of this book to serve younger readers. It's still fairly captivating for any Pokémon fan.

I'm quite fond of this book. As a storybook, it's a bit entertaining; as a reference book, it's somewhat informative. Everything is tied up with influences from the Pokémon anime, which is perfectly enjoyable. While I have to say that the dual purposes of my recent travels were not quite fulfilled, this book accomplishes its (unstated) dual purpose nicely, and it's a worthy memento of a travel that is in part influenced by Pokémon too.

One year ago: A Successor Has Been Named