orangutan | Polilla Writes

Book: Normal Norman
Author: Tara Lazar
Illustrator: S.britt
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books
Genre: children's picture book; age 4 & up; Preschool & up 
Date: March 1, 2016
Pages: 40
Price: $14.95
My rating: Funny with lots of encouragement to love 
your differences

Normal Norman by Tara Lazar is a book about defining the word normal, and in a very funny way.

The narrator of this story is a junior scientist who is narrating for the first time. She wants it to go well, so she introduces Norman. Norman is an orangutan, an average, ordinary, common creature – or so she thinks.

The junior scientist measures him and finds he is normal in size. Then she discovers Norman eating a snack, but he doesn’t eat bananas, he’s eating pizza. When she peels a banana for him he freaks out! He thinks it’s cruel! It gets more and more abnormal from there.

This is a funny story. Children will love that Norman is a purple orangutan who wears eyeglasses, which should have been the first clues to the narrator that Norman is far from being a normal orangutan. Norman also doesn’t want to sleep in a pile of leaves and branches like orangutans do, and he has a favourite stuffed toy.

The junior scientist narrator is distraught. Nothing is going as planned. Then Norman has an idea.

Children will love Tara Lazar‘s ending for Normal Norman. It’s funny and unexpected. The illustrations by S. Britt are fun and fabulous, making Norman a memorable character.

You can find Normal Norman by Tara Lazar on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Goodreads, and sometimes Chapters.Indigo.

Would you like to leave a comment for me, or for the author and/or illustrator?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book: Goodnight, Me

Author: Andrew Daddo

Illustrator: Emma Quay

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date: October 30, 2007

Genre: picture book for ages 2 and up

Pages: 32

Price: hardcover $11.95US; $13.00CD

My Rating: Charming book young ones will love

I was in a local bookstore this week and came across this adorable picture book, Goodnight, Me. It is such a charming story and so beautifully illustrated – I bought it for my grandson. In case it had not come to your attention yet, I decided to review it.

One reviewer called the character in it a monkey, but take a good look at the image I posted above .. wouldn’t you say that is a baby orangutan? And what an adorable baby it is.

This story is focused around the point-of-view of the main character. The little one is convincing his body to calm down for sleep. He names body parts and, mentioning some of what they do in his busy day, he tells them to settle down for the night. Feet, knees, legs, tummy, bottom (“Enough wriggling, bottom. It’s time to be still.”), chest, hands, arms, neck, head, mouth, eyes (“Can you see any dreams yet?”). As his mother tucks him in and kisses him goodnight, he is drifting off to sleep. It is the cutest story.

This first picture book by Andrew Daddo is a wonderful bedtime book to help a child relax and settle down for sleep, and also would be fun for a child who is learning to read. The illustrations by Emma Quay are delightful – soft and realistic-looking of the little orangutan. This is a book to treasure.

You can find Goodnight, Me listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂