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Asiago
Asiago is a vampire, and like all vampires, he avoids the sun, wood, and garlic. When his friends invite him to the beach, he is excited to go. But after getting a sunburn, a wooden splinter in his foot, and a stomachache from eating clams with garlic sauce, Asiago can’t wait to get home. Luckily, his friends come up with a clever solution that makes it possible for Asiago to enjoy the beach. Author/Illustrator Adam McHeffey used color pencils to create a vampire that is so appealing, children will want to meet him again and again. The author of Asiago has donated this book to the Worldreader program.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2012
19 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 31, 2019
This is a cute book about a non-threatening vampire named Asiago. (Apparently, vampires are named after cheeses, if Asiago and his great uncle Gouda are anything to go by.) One day, Asiago's friend Wendy invites him to the beach. Never having been to a beach before, and unsure what to expect, Asiago agrees to go... only to find that the beach is full of hazards for vampires: sunshine, wooden splinters, and garlic clams. Exhausted, Asiago goes home to rest. But his friends don't give up, and come up with a clever way for them to all enjoy the beach together.
Asiago's sweet rather than scary. He's definitely a vampire, though, and I enjoyed seeing all the ways the threats to vampires were incorporated into the story. Just when Asiago thinks the beach is no place for him, his friends use their brains and come up with a way that he can join in on the fun. (Unfortunately, in real life, many times some kids are simply left out of fun situations because it's too much of a hassle for others to make accommodations. I like the way Asiago's friends are shown being thoughtful and compassionate.)
The illustrations are cute. Let's just leave it at that. If you're looking for a book with scary vampires, you'll need to look somewhere else. Even Great Uncle Gouda is more stylish than scary.
Being a vampire book, this will probably be placed on the Halloween shelf. But because of the beach theme, it's actually more of a summer read. I would recommend this one to readers who are interested in stories about friendship, kindness, and... well, vampires.
Quotable moment:
Asiago's sweet rather than scary. He's definitely a vampire, though, and I enjoyed seeing all the ways the threats to vampires were incorporated into the story. Just when Asiago thinks the beach is no place for him, his friends use their brains and come up with a way that he can join in on the fun. (Unfortunately, in real life, many times some kids are simply left out of fun situations because it's too much of a hassle for others to make accommodations. I like the way Asiago's friends are shown being thoughtful and compassionate.)
The illustrations are cute. Let's just leave it at that. If you're looking for a book with scary vampires, you'll need to look somewhere else. Even Great Uncle Gouda is more stylish than scary.
Being a vampire book, this will probably be placed on the Halloween shelf. But because of the beach theme, it's actually more of a summer read. I would recommend this one to readers who are interested in stories about friendship, kindness, and... well, vampires.
Quotable moment:
October 20, 2017
Asiago and his friends at the beach! He had a much better time at night.
I chose this rating for the tiny print that I as a reader could not make a bit bigger and more comfortable for one’s eyes. Otherwise a cool book for those who enjoy reading books of this nature. So, I chose to rate this for four stars and wish to recommend this for these kids� ages 5-6 and or in grades K-1.
I received this book for free using KU, in return, here is my honest review. Great work Adam! By Angela
I chose this rating for the tiny print that I as a reader could not make a bit bigger and more comfortable for one’s eyes. Otherwise a cool book for those who enjoy reading books of this nature. So, I chose to rate this for four stars and wish to recommend this for these kids� ages 5-6 and or in grades K-1.
I received this book for free using KU, in return, here is my honest review. Great work Adam! By Angela
August 22, 2018
This is a great book if you want to read aloud in your best vampire voice. Asiago is a little vampire, who just wants to hang out with his friends at the beach. Unfortunately the beach has sun - and a few other things that just don't work with vampires. How will Asiago cope? Will he still be able to have fun? Do his friends still like him? Spoiler Alert : Yes. But you have to read it to find out exactly how.
July 2, 2021
I love the art so much and the story is cute, but I wish Asiago had done more to solve his own problem and that there was an explanation for the cheese references. Why are the vampires named after cheeses?
June 6, 2017
Very fun and enjoyable book that my 3 year old asks for repeatedly.
October 14, 2017
lovely illustrations and a great story about friendship, allergies and problem solving
September 17, 2018
Adorable
Very cute children's story of a vampire's trip to the shore. I liked the illustrations. Good for a class library
Very cute children's story of a vampire's trip to the shore. I liked the illustrations. Good for a class library
December 11, 2018
Great book, cute and funny!
June 17, 2019
Awww a cute vampire lore related parable and on accommodating new friends's understandable. Illustrations were cute too!
May 11, 2020
perfect. i have always been curious about vampires ... who knew they were named after cheese. so fun. these illustrations will make u smile. fun and quick read. adorable.
November 7, 2022
Kinda weird story of a cheese-named vampire who goes to the beach with his human friends. So many questions...
December 10, 2012
Asiago
By
Adam McHeffey
My "in a nutshell" summary...
This is the story of a little vampire who is afraid to play out in the sun!
My thoughts after reading this book...
Hmmm...a sweet little book about a very young vampire who encounters everything he shouldn't on a day tip to the beach with his friends. He gets a sunburn, eats clams and gets a splinter...sun, wooden stake and garlic on a small scale. He's sad that he didn't have fun so his friends come up with an alternative plan! They take him to the beach at night where he has a totally different experience and surprises his friends.
What I loved about this book...
I loved the fact that Asiago has an accent and when you read it out loud...wonderful is vunderful! The pictures were sweet and so were the cheesy vampire names.
What I did not love...
While I loved the book I am not sure it has staying power or enough substance to become a classic.
Final thoughts...
I found this to be a sweet funny book especially if you like vampires who are named after cheeses.
By
Adam McHeffey
My "in a nutshell" summary...
This is the story of a little vampire who is afraid to play out in the sun!
My thoughts after reading this book...
Hmmm...a sweet little book about a very young vampire who encounters everything he shouldn't on a day tip to the beach with his friends. He gets a sunburn, eats clams and gets a splinter...sun, wooden stake and garlic on a small scale. He's sad that he didn't have fun so his friends come up with an alternative plan! They take him to the beach at night where he has a totally different experience and surprises his friends.
What I loved about this book...
I loved the fact that Asiago has an accent and when you read it out loud...wonderful is vunderful! The pictures were sweet and so were the cheesy vampire names.
What I did not love...
While I loved the book I am not sure it has staying power or enough substance to become a classic.
Final thoughts...
I found this to be a sweet funny book especially if you like vampires who are named after cheeses.
January 11, 2016
A great choice for discussing THEME with younger readers: (One theme being that your attitude makes a big difference in how you encounter things and how sometimes you have to try things more than once to find out all about them & enjoy them. What great messages for a kid!)
My 6-year-old son saw this in the library and I'm glad he did. He and I both enjoyed it, and I took it to school to read to my elementary students with great success, too. It's really fun to read Asiago's line in a funny accent, and the pace and pictures of this book are perfectly suited to ages 5-9. Don't save this one for Halloween; use it all year!
My 6-year-old son saw this in the library and I'm glad he did. He and I both enjoyed it, and I took it to school to read to my elementary students with great success, too. It's really fun to read Asiago's line in a funny accent, and the pace and pictures of this book are perfectly suited to ages 5-9. Don't save this one for Halloween; use it all year!
December 9, 2021
Cute AF. The vampire Asiago goes to the beach with his human friends and has the worst day ever. They re-invite him to visit the beach at night, assuaging all his fears formed during the day visit of the beach. He has a great time that night.
I absolutely loved the list at the beginning detailing the important facts you should know about vampires, especially the cute fact about vampires loving to eat mosquitoes :)
I was a little bummed about the lack of consistency with Asiago's speech pattern (turning W sounds into V sounds, attempting to sound Transylvanian/eastern European), but overall easy to account for the inconsistency when reading aloud at a storytime.
I absolutely loved the list at the beginning detailing the important facts you should know about vampires, especially the cute fact about vampires loving to eat mosquitoes :)
I was a little bummed about the lack of consistency with Asiago's speech pattern (turning W sounds into V sounds, attempting to sound Transylvanian/eastern European), but overall easy to account for the inconsistency when reading aloud at a storytime.
November 6, 2012
I expected to hate this book. I picked it up to peruse it, and there is just something about a transylvanian accent. I finally gave in during the scene where Asiago and Wendy share a nosh of baked clams, and I read this dialogue:
"Vendy," he asked, "was there...gulp...garlic in those clams?"
"I think so, Asiago. Why? You don't like garlic?"
"They ver delicious, but garlic is just about the verst think for a young vampire."
It just got to me. And I reread it, and I have to say it's an adorable buddy book, and how to create inclusive friendships!
"Vendy," he asked, "was there...gulp...garlic in those clams?"
"I think so, Asiago. Why? You don't like garlic?"
"They ver delicious, but garlic is just about the verst think for a young vampire."
It just got to me. And I reread it, and I have to say it's an adorable buddy book, and how to create inclusive friendships!
June 3, 2013
It was a cute story about a little vampire boy and his human friends who all go the beach. My issue is that somewhere in the middle of the book the vampire breaks dialect, which does not seem intentional.
July 11, 2012
Asiago loves to hang out with his friends. However, being a vampire puts certain limitations on how he can spend time with them. A trip to the beach?? This could be problematic.
September 18, 2012
Asiago, the young vampire, spends a day at the beach. But it quickly become clear that the beach is no place for a vampire.
March 6, 2015
Cute
My boys thought the book was really cute. Wouldn't be something I would really buy though. Renting is nice. :)
My boys thought the book was really cute. Wouldn't be something I would really buy though. Renting is nice. :)
February 17, 2016
This was a very cute story. I really loved that the kids found a way for Asiago to enjoy the beach too. I would be interested in more Asiago adventures.
June 5, 2015
Good story, sometimes scares Jake (4/15)
October 20, 2016
very cute :)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
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