H. B. Lewis

This book is such a delightful read! In my opinion, the highlight of the book was the combination of the illustrations and child-like thought process present in the text. For instance, one page of the book portrays a letter that the main character wrote to Santa. Part of it states, “I feel like maybe I should have asked for a different present, and you want to swap, that would be OK.” Instead of simply telling Santa what he wants, the kind hearted and innocent main character adorably fails at hiding his true intentions. The text is heart-warming, but so are the illustrations, especially on the page where the main character is depicted with his messy morning hair, pajamas, and tongue sticking out in reaction to the gross pile of fish that Osbert, his pet penguin, enjoys eating. Overall, I enjoyed reading about a child who got what he asked for, learned that his wish was poorly planned, and learned to relinquish his treasured friend for the friend’s sake. Everything about this book was charming and heart filling; I would definitely include it in my future collection of… (more)