Good Thing You’re Not an Octopus!
Written by: Julie Markes
Illustrated by: Maggie Smith
Recommended for ages: 3-6
Harper Collins $8.99

Have you ever encountered resistance when trying to get your dear child dressed in the morning? What about when he won’t eat what is put in front of him? Or how about bathtime battles with your darling daughter?

This adorable storybook touches on most every imaginable domestic mêlée. Upon reading it, children soon realize that they should be grateful for having two legs instead of eight like an octopus. If that were the case then they’d really have something to complain about when putting on their pants in the morning. The buckling of car seats is often a point of contention for children and parents but after reading this tale they find out that if they were a kangaroo they’d have to ride in their Mama’s pouch all of the time. I’ll bet baths become less troublesome when young readers discover that tiger Moms lick their babies all over to clean them! Yuck! That bathtub sure looks good now.

Smith’s watercolour illustrations are bright, cheerful and charming for youngsters who want a good chuckle as they listen aloud to this delightful tale.

This early introduction to animals and how they relate to our daytime routines also has a subtle lesson about self-acceptance as the child realizes “it’s a good thing you’re YOU” at the end of the story.