I guess I’ve been out of the childrens book game for a while, aside from the occasional gift for my niece and nephews (yes, I’m THAT Aunt that only gives books, they were always my favorite gifts as a kid and now everyone must suffer). It has come to my attention however, in the months since Olive has been born, that there are a lot of crappy children’s books out there.
I mean there’s a fair amount of incredible, enthralling, gorgeously illustrated ones too, but you have to wade through all the riff-raff to get there. My mom is slowly outfitting Olive with the classics ( Wind in the Willows, Beatrix Potter, etc) but I wanted to do a regular shout-out to the awesome ones we find every so often on our library excursions.
So, the inagural Olive Book Review starts NOW. (I have to come up with a better name though.)
For our first winner, we have Edwina the Emu.
This book rhymes without being cheesy, which I always love in a kids book. It lends a nice cadence and rhythm to the story. Second, the story itself is adorable, I’m not going to summarize it because this isn’t a third-grade book report where I end by saying “In conclusion…”, but it was a great story with good solid lessons to be learned- like perseverance! And independence! And how a woman’s place is at home, raising babies! Erm…what? The feminist me may have read a little into the last one.
Finally, the illustrations are fantastic, which is key in kids books, especially when you’re reading to someone who can not actually understand a word of the story itself.
I also enjoyed this book because it reminded me of the time I was in Western Australia and got chased down the street by a Cassowary – which is like an Emu, but with the added bonus of having a terrifying mohawk on its head made out of bone.
(I am not making this up. Google it)
I was talking to Adam on a payphone, sweat running down my calves, when he heard this sort of gurgling squawk and then my terrified voice shrieking “HOLYSHITIHAVETOGO!CASSOWARY!” and then I ran.
Good times.
In conclusion, Edwina the Emu is a win.