Kitty Black

Wow, what impressive insight into children's emotions! Author Kitty Black shows prodigious empathy and perception for the everyday worries and fears children face. Numerous situations adults take for granted can be disquieting or horrifying for children. They habitually encounter new experiences. Max and the Purple Worry presents emotions in the shape of animals, and purple ones at that! Jess Rose's illustrations are marvelous, with the purple meerkat of worry showing as many alarmed expressions as Max.
Max experiences crushing worry in the form of a meerkat who tells him numerous dreadful outcomes if he cannot complete his math sheet well. Max's stomach "churned like a washing machine," and he did everything he could to avoid a disastrous outcome.
Max has adults who reassure him, but worry returns despite this. The story is stunning in its accuracy in depicting children's feelings and beautiful in its purpose of showing young ones that their emotions are normal and can be dealt with. More books like this one need to be published! Crippling anxiety in children is more easily dealt with if it is addressed at a young age. Thank you, Kitty Black, for this stunning book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for the ARC of this book.… (mer)

A bird family finds an egg, takes it home and lets it hatch. Turns out it’s a crocodile, but instead of turning him away, they keep him, and he is family. All the other animals in the bush may wonder why, but the family has no need to wonder, Croc is family and he belongs. This is a wonderful allegory of an adoption story. It shows that belonging is all that matters. Someone isn’t “kept” because they are useful or fun. They are kept because they are family and they belong. The message of this book is absolutely wonderful and the bright colorful graphics help bring up the funny and make this book truly a joy to read.… (mer)