Available Formats
Free Kid to Good Home
By (Author) Hiroshi Ito
Illustrated by Hiroshi Ito
Translated by Hirano Cathy
Gecko Press
Gecko Press
6th July 2022
New Zealand
Children
Fiction
Graphic novel / Comic book / Manga: styles / traditions
895.636
Hardback
112
Width 144mm, Height 204mm
A comic-style chapter book about sibling rivalry and a childs impulse to run away from homeand come back again!
When my potato-faced baby brother arrived, I realized I needed a new family. No one seemed to mind when I packed my bag. I took a box and used my best handwriting to write FREE KID, then waited for some new parents to take me home.
Waiting in a box like an abandoned pet and encountering the passersby changes the girls perspective. At the end of the day, when her parents pretend they need an older sister for their new baby, she is ready to leave her box and go happily back home.
This comical twist on sibling rivalry is translated from an enduring Japanese bestseller, now in its 31st edition and at last available in English.
This accessible story is perfect for children starting on independent reading and is illustrated in a graphic comic style that captures childlike subversive humour. Ideal for fans of Charles Schulzs Peanuts comic strip.
A useful book to teach young children about welcoming a new baby sibling to the family, or exploring playful sibling relationships, through funny and lighthearted storytelling.
"an instant classic."
-- Childrens Publishers Favorite Reads of 2022, Publishers Weekly, US"Ito uses words and pictures with equal skill to craft this hilariously willful little visionary."
-- The New York Times"a light, engaging tale that will appeal to comic book fans and all young readers who have secretly (or not so secretly) resented the arrival of a potato-faced baby to the family."
-- The School Reading List"young readers...will be rewarded by getting to know this can-do narrator."
-- The Horn BookHiroshi Ito was born in Tokyo, Japan, and graduated from Waseda University with a degree in education. He began creating picture books while still a student and has since published many award-winning books.