Flubby will NOT Go to Sleep (#3) by Jennifer E. Morris

12 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 21st September 2021Goodreads badge
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Illustrator: J. E Morris
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

Flubby, the cute but aloof cat, refuses to hit the hay in this gentle story perfect for bedtime!

Kami makes a new bed for Flubby, but the fussy feline won’t settle into slumber. A squishy pillow, a warm blanket, and even a bedtime snack are not enough to do the trick! Flubby finally drifts off to dreamland with the help of a friend.

I honestly could not tell you what it is about this book. It’s either the cover, or the story itself, but I have found myself picking it up and reading it every time it crosses my path at work.

Morris has already started off strong with a brilliant name like Flubby, then we get the cover image. I’m already hooked before we even open the book.

There are a lot of “animals not going to sleep” genre books which are meant to replicate the human child who it’s being read to, but this is a rare case of an actual pet not going to sleep. As an owner of a dog who also will on occasion NOT Go to Sleep, I think I resonated with this story a little too much.

I understand this is a book where children might be using it to learn to read or whatever so it’s simple, but the tone of the writing, and the deadpan look on Flubby’s face is amazing and I adore every page.

The logical options behind why Flubby won’t go to sleep are also not unheard of with my fluffball so I get it, Flubby, but it’s amazing to read every time.

I have discovered there are more in the Flubby series so I now need to seek those out and see what else Flubby has been up to.

You can purchase Flubby Will NOT Go to Sleep via the following

Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

The Duck Never Blinks by Alex Latimer

03 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , ,

Published: 11 July 2023Goodreads badge
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Illustrator: Alex Latimer
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★  –3.5 Stars

Do you see that duck over there?
That duck doesn’t blink.
Even if you look away then look back real quick.
Even if you tell it a really funny joke!
Perfect for fans of interactive stories like Do Not Lick This Book and Duck! Rabbit!, The Duck Never Blinks will have kids and adults alike bawling with laughter as they spend time with this one very sly duck.

I like books where the narration addresses the reader, but in a way where the author is trying to tell us about their woes. It’s like Latimer has pulled us aside and said, ‘hey, see that duck? It hasn’t blinked.’ And now we’re being pulled into their situation to help solve it.

In the same vein of the Pigeon series, I like that the story involves studying a creature. The creature in question is a duck, the most seagull looking duck you’ve ever seen, but a duck all the same. The comical design of the duck is great, and it is a design that plays well into the never blinking because despite the basic design, you can feel it staring into your soul.

It is a good book to read aloud and there are fun activities to do to help make the duck blink like shouting, telling jokes, and sad stories. Latimer uses the layout well to show the passing of time and they keep the focus on the duck with no real background or distraction.

It’s a cute story and one that is predictable in a fun way that gives satisfaction to the reader. It’s fun to watch this exasperated narrator try their best to make a duck blink and while you never find out why they need to see it, it’s great to watch them try.

You can purchase The Duck Never Blinks via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Red: A Crayon Story by Michael Hall

19 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , ,

Published: 3 February 2015Goodreads badge
Publisher: Library Binding
Illustrator: Michael Hall
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let’s draw strawberries ), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange ), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can’t be red, no matter how hard he tries Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He’s blue This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.

I love Red. When I first read it years ago it was a brilliant way to explain how people can be different on the inside than what their ‘label’ says they should be on the outside.

What is great about this book is its subtleness. It’s an easy metaphor for gender and even neurodivergence, but it is also a story for everyone about trying to be someone you’re not. No matter who you are, you should always be yourself, and not try and fit into the expectations others have put on you. You will feel more comfortable being true to yourself than stressed and worried trying to be someone you’re not.

The people around Red telling him to try harder, to do what he’s are supposed to so based on his label, not to mention the judgements that come when Red inevitably fails is perfect. If you’re expected to be able to do something, or supposed to act a certain way and you don’t it can make you feel like a failure. Hall gives us a story about the feeling of trying and trying but never being able to fit in how you’re supposed to, and maybe that’s ok.

Crayons and colours are a great teaching tool and being blue while looking red on the outside is a wonderful example of despite trying to do what you’re supposed to do, somethings you can’t help it. Red wants to draw strawberries, wants to help draw an orange, but he can’t.

It’s a great example that what’s on the inside is important no matter what someone’s exterior looks like and even if that is different, they still have value and can contribute in their own unique ways.

You can purchase Red: A Crayon’s Story via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Want to Play Trucks? by Ann Stott

05 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , ,

Published: 7 August 2018Goodreads badge
Publisher: Candlewick
Illustrator: Bob Graham
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Jack likes trucks. Alex likes dolls. What will they play together? Their new favorite game, of course!

Jack and Alex meet almost every morning in the sandbox at the playground. Jack likes trucks — big ones, the kind that can wreck things. Alex likes dolls — pink ones, with sparkles. And tutus. But Jack doesn’t want to play dolls, and Alex doesn’t want to play trucks. Luckily for Jack and Alex, the day is saved with a little bit of compromise — what about dolls who drive trucks?

I like this book because it’s a great story that easily demonstrates that everyone has different interests, and even if they aren’t what you like, or what society thinks you should like, it doesn’t make it bad or wrong.

The best part is there is no explicit social commentary on it at all. Stott’s story about two kids playing in the park is just that. But in showing these two kids with different interests it’s a wonderful story that reminds people kids (and adults) are allowed to like a lot of things, there are no rules. And it isn’t wrong to like different things from other people.

The faux conflict is great because it sets you up to think there’s going to be an issue but there isn’t (funnily enough it’s all about communication and not just yelling at one another). Stott shows readers once again that kids are accepting and have no predetermined ideas about anything. It’s all about what they are taught and what they are exposed to.

It’s also a great book that shows despite having different interests, you can still get along with someone, and you may even find you have other things in common.

Graham’s illustrations are classic and realistic. The colours and subdued but varied and he captures the feeling of intimacy and playing side by side in a sand pit. There’s enough background detail to make up a full scene but I liked the focus on the two kids for most of the book, especially as it meant they could sort out their own issues without the adults getting involved.

There is nothing to suggest this is an LGBTQIA book, but I love that because it is as a simple reminder that gender nonconforming covers a lot of things, and if that means people understand boys can like dolls and tutus then that is a great lesson learnt.

You can purchase Want to Play Trucks? via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jessie Sima

08 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 06 March 2018Goodreads badge
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Illustrator: Jessie Sima
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Harriet loves costumes. She wears them to the dentist, to the supermarket, and most importantly, to her super-special dress-up birthday party. Her dads have decorated everything for the party and Harriet has her most favorite costume all picked out for the big day. There’s just one thing missing–party hats.

But when Harriet dons her special penguin errand-running costume and sets out to find the perfect ones, she finds something else instead–real penguins Harriet gets carried away with the flock. She may look like a penguin, but she’s not so sure she belongs in the arctic. Can Harriet manage her way back to her dads (and the party hats ) in time for her special day?

This is an adorable story, coupled with even more adorable illustrations. I loved the duel meaning of getting carried away and the fact we have Harriet who is already an outgoing person, it’s no surprise she is giving a warning to reign herself in a little.

I initially thought Harriet was going to be kidnapped by the penguins, but she chooses to follow them and gets caught up in their adventure. This is where the warning from her dads come in because it’s clear this was always a risk of her being caught up by something she fancies and wandering off.

The story is a delightful adventure and I loved how Harriet had agency over what she was doing and where she chose to be. She was clever, negotiated, and resourceful all while trying to get home to her party.

Sima’s depictions of Harriet and her costumes are so good, and I love how things are scaled. The pictures are creative and clever as we see penguins in their hot air balloons and the city backdrop as Harriet and her dads prepare for her party. It’s rare you see a lot of scenery shots, usually there are a lot of close ups in picture books when it comes to matching event in the story. But I liked how Sima tells the story at a distance, where everything is in frame, and it suits the narrative perfectly.

The vastness of the scenery with the penguins, even in the shop to show the little girl wandering a large store really puts you in the scene and you can imagine little Harriet wandering around the supermarket. That isn’t to say there aren’t great close ups too, Harriet trying to get back home through various means, and even the variations on her different costumes choices are joyful.

I loved the story and while I always enjoy the illustrations, I found I particularly liked the style Sima chose and think it enhanced the story even further. I don’t want to say it is a benefit of the author being the illustrator because I have seen perfect matches and compliments between text and illustration before with different people, but there was something about Sima’s illustrations that really stood out to me and made the story even better.

You can purchase Harriet gets Carried Away via the following

 Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

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