Kathleen Edick and Paula Johnson, Authors
Wee the People Publishing, LLC, 2012
Suitable for ages: 3 and up
Themes: Moving, Leaving Family, Friends and Pets, Starting New Schools, Making New Friends
Opening: “We’re at Grandma and Grandpa’s house today. Mommy’s home packing; We’re moving away. This is the Worst Day I’ve ever had. I don’t want to move? It’s making me sad.”
Synopsis: A sister and brother are moving far away and leaving behind their dog, Daisy, who they’ve had since she was a puppy. One day an older couple comes to take Daisy home with them to their big farm. It is Daisy’s WORST DAY ever. She won’t eat, play, and ignores her new family. Then one day the new owner feeds her a bowl of spaghetti. And the farmer takes Daisy for a ride through the fields in the back of his truck. Daisy discovers a whole new world of digging, exploring and chasing rodents. At the same time the children learn similar lessons and make new friends. And they keep in touch with their grandparents by writing letters until they are reunited during vacation.
Why I like this book: This charming book is part of the “We Serve Too!” series written in verse for military children by two loving grandmothers, Kathleen Edick and Paula Johnson. The characters remain the same in all four books. Relocation and moving is a theme shared by both military and civilian children. And this is a true story about the author’s real-life “Daisy Dog,” who comes to live on their farm when a family moves. The authors are very clever to use Daisy to help children express their feelings about moving. This beautiful story will help ease the fear and anxiety of moving. It offers hope that things will work out. The illustrations are colorful and show a lot of love and emotion. Visit the Wee Serve Too! website.
And, I want to give a shout-out for the other three Wee Serve Too! books I’ve reviewed: A Child’s Deployment Book, A Child’s Reunion Book, and The Homecoming Box. These are quality books that have helped many military children through tough times. I have donated all the of my books to my local library. They were thrilled to receive them and ordered another set for the other branch.
Resources: The authors have a free discussion guide that can be downloaded free from their website. Just click on Little Daisy’s Worst/Best Day to get access to the guide. This book is a great tool for discussing a move with any child.
This book has been provided to me free of charge by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review of the work.
Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.