{"id":7032401,"date":"2026-08-07T18:40:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/barnaby-bumstead-and-the-gentle-takedown-by-remi-makulec-the-strawberry-post\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:40:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:40:22","slug":"barnaby-bumstead-and-the-gentle-takedown-by-remi-makulec-the-strawberry-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7032401","title":{"rendered":"Barnaby Bumstead and the Gentle Takedown by Remi Makulec \u2013 The Strawberry Post"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A book review of a fun children\u2019s picture book about a boy who tackles his bullies by using his brains and a clever non-violent technique and employing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

About\u00a0Barnaby Bumstead and the Gentle Takedown<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Title: <\/strong>Barnaby Bumstead and the Gentle Takedown (The Barnaby Bumstead Adventures #1)
Author: <\/strong>Remi Makulec
Illustrator: <\/strong>Remi Makulec
Publisher: <\/strong>Brown Dog Books
Genre: <\/strong>Children\u2019s picture book
Book format reviewed:<\/strong> Paperback
Sweet Strawberries: \"Sweet\"Sweet\"Sweet\"Sweet\"Sweet<\/strong><\/p>\n

Description:\u00a0<\/strong>One small boy, one big book, and a whole lot of trouble.<\/em>
Barnaby Bumstead isn\u2019t your average adventurer.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t have a sword, a map to buried treasure, or a secret superpower.\u00a0 What he does have is a very important book: \u201cThe Gentle Art: A Guide to Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.\u201d
With a dash of defiance, a lot of practice, and a few well-timed tumbles, The Barnaby Bumstead Adventures is a hilarious, action-packed journey about finding your feet (and sometimes landing on your head) in a world that\u2019s constantly trying to trip you up.
Why Kids and Parents Will Love It:<\/em>
-Action-packed: Fast pace that keeps readers turning the page
-The Martial Arts Twist: A unique focus on Jiu-Jitsu and the power of the technique over size.
-Relatable Heroes: Characters who make mistakes, get into trouble and have to find their own way out.<\/p>\n

*Free copy provided by Literally PR for review\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

My review and thoughts on\u00a0Barnaby Bumstead and the Gentle Takedown<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

This is such a brilliant story with a great message and some fun activities for kids to do. Barnaby Bumstead is a skinny kid made up mostly of elbows and knees. Every day at school Barnaby tries to avoid his bullies Bossy Bertha and her little brother Bumbling Bob, but no matter what he tries he\u2019s always confronted by them and has to hand over his lunch or some money. One day Barnaby stumbles across an old book called \u2018The Gentle Art: A Guide to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu\u2019 and is fascinating by what it teaches, can he use the lessons in the books to take down his bullies, all without hurting them? The paperback is filled with some semi-glossy pages full of some great illustrations and text.<\/p>\n

\"Barnaby
\u00a9The Strawberry Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I love this story which begins by introducing Barnaby and showing the difficulty he has with Bossy Bertha and her brother, but when Barnaby comes across the old book teaching the art of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, he is surprised when he reads how he can take down an opponent who is bigger than him by using their own power against them. What happens next is brilliant and I like how this book shows how Barnaby manages to deal with his bullies, ultimately using his brain rather than muscles.<\/p>\n

\"Barnaby
\u00a9The Strawberry Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The story is fun and is enhanced by the very good illustrations which appear on every double page. Each picture is so good, showing the character\u2019s expressions well, and I love the way Barnaby looks and the detail in many of the pictures. The story has a good and satisfying ending and the back of the book has a vocabulary vault teaching kids some of the words used in the book, in case they don\u2019t know them, and the back of the book also contains a few different activities to do like spot the difference and design your own jiu-jitsu outfit which can be redone if you use wipe clean markers apparently. The back of the book also shows news of the next book in the series which I\u2019m keen to read too.<\/p>\n

\"Barnaby
\u00a9The Strawberry Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Overall this is a great and fun picture book and especially good for kids who\u2019ve faced bullying themselves. A good story with a great message that there are other ways to win over the bullies, using brains and it might also spark an interest in kids for Brazilian jiu-jitsu too!<\/p>\n

Buy\u00a0Barnaby Bumstead and the Gentle Takedown<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Barnaby<\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 Buy from Brown Dog Books<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

About Remi Makulec<\/h2>\n

\"Remi<\/p>\n

By day, Remi lives a life of extreme caution.\u00a0 As a Health and Safety specialist in South West of England, he spends his daylight hours conducting rigorous risk assessments and teaching people the fine art of moving and handling without a hitch.\u00a0 He is, quite literally, the man who tells the world to \u201cbe careful\u201d.\u00a0 But when the sun sets over the village of Almondsbury, the clipboard is swapped for a Gi.
As a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) coach, Remi has spent years on the mats, trading safety posters for omoplatas and armbars.\u00a0 It was this \u201cdouble life\u201d that birthed the world of Barnaby Bumstead.\u00a0 Inspired by the anarchic charm of Roald Dahl and the kaleidoscope of characters that have lived in his head for decades, Remi decided it was time to bring the \u201cGentle Art\u201d to the playground.\u00a0 In Barnaby Bumstead and the Gentle Takedown, he draws on his coaching experience to show that martial arts are about far more than just defence.\u00a0 To Remi, BJJ is a vital tool for childhood development \u2013 a way to weave discipline, patience, and iron-clad focus into the fabric of growing up.
When he isn\u2019t instructing people on how to lift boxes safely or teaching kids how to execute a perfect sweep, he lives in a quiet corner of the South West with his wife and two children \u2013 who serve as both his toughest critics and his biggest inspiration.\u00a0 Through Barnaby, Remi hopes to prove that while the world can be a \u201cdangerous\u201d place, a little bit of technique and a lot of heart can help any kid find their footing.<\/p>\n

Visit author\u2019s website<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 Visit author on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 Visit author on Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

-Thanks to Literally PR for a chance to take part in this blog tour! \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Barnaby
Strawberry background \u00a9The Strawberry Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Barnaby
Strawberry background \u00a9The Strawberry Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

What do you think of this book?\u00a0 Have you ever had to deal with any bullies?\u00a0 Let me know what you think in the comments below \ud83d\ude42<\/strong><\/p>\n

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