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Reviewed By Liz Konkel for Readers’ Favorite
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I Hope It's a Puppy! by Lindsay Achtman is a sweet story told from a little girl's perspective as she anxiously awaits the arrival of a new baby. A perfect bed time treat for growing families with lovely illustrations by Andra Morosan. The new baby is meant to be a surprise, but the little girl is good at guessing and and knows she'll be able to guess right. Her guesses are humorous and sweet, starting with a puppy she can play with to the fantastic idea of an unicorn she can take to school to a monkey she can climb trees with.
Lindsay Achtman weaves a charming tale to help small children process the idea of a new baby joining the family. The story focuses on a little girl whose voice is perfectly captured by Achtman who uses a clever way of helping children process the idea of a baby. The little girl has a variety of guesses based on various clues she derives from her mom's pregnancy, such as feeling the baby kicking which leads her to believe the baby has to be a puppy. The innocence of childhood is clearly depicted as she fantasizes about what it'd be like to have a puppy to play with. As the story continues, her guesses become sillier and show a real childlike imagination. Achtman cleverly uses these clues to garner an understanding of what a mom goes through during pregnancy and is kept at a child's level such as her mom's teeter totter walk. Andra Morosan has a keen eye for detail in the illustrations which are playful and sweet images, bringing life to this little girl and her imaginative guesses. The illustrations are full of soft colors with gentle hues of purples and blues. Each page shows the little girl as she guesses and then Morosan brings those guesses to life with humor and joy.
Achtman uses precise language with a rhyme scheme that adds a playful song-like quality and fits perfectly with the child's perspective. Achtman incorporates an ultrasound to help the little girl see the baby and understand the baby isn't an animal to play with but a small human that will eventually be someone she can play with. I Hope It's a Puppy! is a terrific story for parents to share with small children to help them understand - through fun and playful writing and stunning illustrations - when a new baby is joining the family.
Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite
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“Mommy’s having a baby!” and this little girl is very excited. She observes her mommy’s belly and wonders what it’ll be. Will it be a playful puppy? Or a unicorn? Or a bashful bunny? There are so many possibilities and this little girl’s imagination runs wild as she imagines what this baby will be. That is, until Mommy shows the little girl the ultrasound picture of the baby and she realizes that it will be a human baby. She doesn’t know if it’ll be a boy or a girl, but it doesn’t matter. This little girl is thrilled at the idea of having a little brother or sister to play with and to be her best friend.
Lindsay Achtman’s picture book story, I Hope It’s a Puppy!, is a lovely way to introduce young readers to the exciting possibilities of having a younger sibling. With colorful illustrations and told in rhyming verse, this story allows the young reader to laugh and share in one little girl’s vivid imagination. As the little girl explores the wonderful possibilities of the animal kingdom, the reader learns about different animals like monkeys and owls and, of course, puppies and so much more. The word 'ultrasound' is a big word that might need explaining, but young people like to learn new words, especially big words. And, this is another way to allow young readers to explore and understand the new life growing inside Mommy’s belly. This is a fun, laughter-filled, charming little book to help a young reader learn about new life and, as well, learn to accept the new life that might soon be coming into their home.
