Author: Elizabeth Laird
Illustrator: Toby Newsome
Publisher: Tiny Owl
Ages: 4-8
People who have taken the time to read my biography on this blog know that I have been a lawyer for 31+ years. Given this history, imagine my surprise when I discovered a sweet lesson in causality disguised as a children’s picturebook!
Gloria makes yummy porridge and refuses to give any to her cat. Her cat, of course, ends up eating all of it. When Gloria finds out, she chases the cat with a spoon. The cat, jumps on a donkey. The donkey starts a ruckus, disturbing a tree that unsettles some bees . . . .
And so on . . . .
Are you starting to get the picture yet? The world is turned upside down because Gloria did not share her porridge.
The interesting thing is what happens next. A wise fox (I kept waiting for the fox to eat everyone–it doesn’t happen) wanders by and notices everything. He asks the group, now engaged in all sorts of accusatory fighting “what are you going to do now?” After some reflection, the group comes to terms with its actions and and learns valuable lessons about actions, consequences, friendship.
This book is a lovely, easy read with a strong but not overtly didactic message. The illustrations are done in a South African-inspired style and are quite beautiful. Simply lovely.
Gloria’s Porridge (Amazon)*
Gloria’s Porridge (Support an Independent Bookstore)*
My thanks to Tiny Owl for providing a Review Copy of this book. All opinions provided herein are my own.
More books for this Tiny Owl can be found here and here.
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