PERFECT PICTURE BOOK FRIDAY [PPBF] - I Don't Like Koala by Sean Ferrell Illustrated by Charles Santoso

http://amzn.to/1N03f6j

OK so Atheneum published this book a year ago (April, 2015), but in our home, it has had staying power and is a family favorite.

Jacket flap copy reads: Adam does not like Koala. Koala is the most terrible terrible. Or is he? 

We all know what it's like to get that gift that's so awful that we just want to get rid of it, so we can identify with Adam and his universal problem. After all, Koala has terrible eyes that follow Adam wherever he goes. Who would keep a gift like that? Yikes!

Instead of coloring an uncomfortable situation as is done in many picture books, Sean Ferrell lets us know by the title and repetition on the first page that Adam does not like Koala, and showcases Adam's subsequent attempts to get rid of Koala.

While this may be considered dark, or subversive, we truly love the honesty of this book. This honesty makes the solution and character change so warmly rewarding, AND offers an unexpected twist at the end.

Charles Santoso's digitally-colored pencil illustrations perfectly convey why Adam doesn't like Koala and yet helps gives an emotional arc to the story.

Pick up a copy of I Don't Like Koala. Try it, you might even like him!

Review by Lynne Marie

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