I Don't Like Koala - Sean Ferrell (Author) & Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Just a note that I'm incredibly sorry I haven't been able to stay more current with my reviews as of late. I have become overwhelmed with working on my dissertation and keeping up with selection committee reading. But I assure you that no matter what is going on in life, I will keep trying to bring your attention to adorable, hilarious, creepy, thought-provoking, and sometimes downright disturbing literature. You're welcome!



Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy this review of I Don't Like Koala!
What’s not to love about a cute, cuddly...creepy toy koala? This is the story of a boy and the stuffed animal he just can’t seem to shake.

Adam does not like Koala. Koala is a little creepy.

Adam tries explaining this to his parents. He tries putting Koala away—far away. He tries taking Koala on a long, long walk. Nothing works. Will Adam ever be rid of Koala?


I know what everyone's thinking. How could this kid seriously NOT like a koala? I mean really. They're equated with cute and cuddly, sleepy and serene. But have you ever looked at their eyes? Adam has, and what he sees is just a tad creepy... okay, maybe more than a tad... Why don't you take a look for yourself:


His eyes are a little "off" and maybe he's not the most active little guy (not that that's stopped other children in picturebooks... just look at Sparky!) Adam tries to explain to his parents that he just doesn't like Koala. He tries to hide his koala in various places (under a couch, in his mother's purse, on top of the refrigerator, and any other places he can think of.) But "Koala is always there. In [Adam's] bed. On his pillow. Closer than close. His parents try their best to get Adam to like his koala, but Adam just can't figure out what to do, and his parents can't make Adam like the poor little guy. Until one fateful night when the shadows are out, and the darkness has crept in, and maybe, just maybe, the koala can be of some comfort after all.


The story itself is poignant and relevant to many adults and children. The concept of the strong or rebellious child who still need comfort deep down, is paired well with the adorable illustrations from Charles Santoso. Santoso's images are just plain hilarious, and he makes fabulous use of muted colours, white space, and comic book panels from time to time. The book also has adult appeal, and the story bleeds onto the end papers with some inside jokes for parents. And if you don't see that delightfully creepy koala gaze every time you close your eyes, then I feel sorry for you... really.  I Don't Like Koala will delight your senses and tickle your funny bone.

Highly Recommended

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Living - Matt De La Peña

Image
The Living  recently received an Honor from the Pura Belpré committee. The award recognizes of a work which best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth. As I was at the awards announcements, and having known people who served on the committee in the past, I was intrigued. I had read the winning title and the other honor titles, and was impressed with the choices. So here's my review of The Living : The novel begins with Shy, a young guy working for a snazzy cruise line, offering water to people on the Lido Deck of the ship to combat the heat. Everything is going pretty well until an older gentleman comes out and starts spouting of weird, disconcerting phrases: "You have seen the face of evil."Shy doesn't quite know what to think, so he moves on to a couple of ladies on the other side of the deck. Just as he's handing them their water bottles, he sees movement out of the corner of his eye and realizes the old guy h...
Read more

The Music of What Happens - Bill Konigsberg

Image
Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever. Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart. Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they're willing to risk -- to get the thing they want the most. This is a phenomenal book, in my humble opinion. There aren't too many books dealing with male sexual abuse, particularly in YA. Sex and sexuality are messy parts of young adulthood, but what this book does really well is discuss consent and the ways in which physical cues can be misinte...
Read more

Girls Like Us - Gail Giles

Image
I have now gone out and made sure that I have all of the books longlisted for the National Book Award. I read and reviewed a number of these previously, so now I have five left to read and review. This is one of those five (but would I expect anything less from the fabulous team at Candlewick?) Girls Like Us  is a unique novel in a number of respects, most notably in the fact that both protagonists are identified (and self-identified) as mentally disabled in some way. Biddy has a learning disability that she was born with, while Quincy is a young girl who is disabled due to the fact that her mother's boyfriend hit her in the head with a brick, disfiguring her and damaging her brain. Once the two girls graduate from school, they move into a house together, becoming caregivers for both each other and an older woman, Elizabeth. The two must rely on each other for comfort, knowledge, and emotional strength, and Elizabeth manages to help them along the way. While I had moments of wo...
Read more