Series: Storytime
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge | What An Animal |
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:
Josh loves to be close to his mum at night in her pouch, or ‘pocket', as he calls it. Though, soon he must sleep on the grass like the older kangaroos. One day, Josh's mum has a surprise about what is in her pocket: "It needs lots of love and care." Josh racks his brains to try and think and, after the help of several friends, gives up. What could the surprise be? And will he love it as much as his mother says he will? A sweet story about gaining a new sibling and how children can welcome a new member to the family. QEB's popular Storytime series are charming books that combine colourful illustrations with heart-warming narrative, each with its own unique message or young children. The series is ever expanding and now comprises 36 titles.
The first time I read this was with one of the four year old's in my classroom. He guessed right away what the surprise was, but then he is the oldest of three. Later I read it to a group of three, four, and five year olds, most of whom also guessed right away what the surprise. They did enjoy the guessing games and seeing the different animals but the older ones lost interest and a few wandered off before the story was done.
The artwork was cute but not over the top and the colors were lovely. I had no idea there were wild parrots in Australia so I learned something, which always makes me happy. :) The authors used a nice mix of animals including at least one that's rarely in children's books.
The story itself? Well, like the kids I thought it was meh. There are better books to use to introduce the concept of a new sibling. Poor Joey gets pushed out mom's pocket with little warning and told there's no room. Well, there's a baby in there so it's technically true, but ouch! Not the nicest thing to say to a young child who doesn't know what's going on. I don't think the authors realized how that sounded; it's clear from the text that they were aiming for a sweet story, and it mostly is. It just isn't anything special.
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