Just So Stories

Larrikin House

July 2024

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

• ISBN13: 9781922804631
• RRP: AU$ 24.99 / NZ$ 27.99

There probably isn’t a child alive who hasn’t enjoyed their birthday celebrations so much, that they have wished it could be their birthday every day. But what if….? And that’s exactly what happens in this humorous look at ‘too much of a good thing’.

As Jack Wolf makes his wish and it comes true, day after day, party after party, cake after cake, until he’s old and wizened and everybody is well and truly fed up (including his poor mum!), your readers will be having fits of giggles.

I can well imagine the almost equally endless stories about memorable birthday parties and events that any class will have to relate. We live in a time of excess, there’s no denying that. It’s not unusual for parents to spend a couple of thousand dollars on a 1-year-old’s party – we’ve all seen it, I’m sure.

To my mind, this is a great lead-in to a mindful discussion about less consumerism, less greed, less landfill, less selfishness, less-oneupmanship – just less. It’s a funny story with some clever and vibrant illustrations which capture the over-the-top exuberance of Jack and his never-ending party, and his long-suffering friends and family.

Your Smalls will thoroughly enjoy but perhaps more importantly, might reflect on its underlying concept. It’s a 4 🎉🎉🎉🎉 from me.

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