Just So Stories

Text Publishing

February 2026

ISBN: 9781923058729

AU Price: $14.99

Teaching Notes

This one took a while to come to me but it was sure worth the wait. What an utterly beautiful and heart-rending narrative Ingrid Laguna has created, and one which will sadly resonate with children and families who have lost a baby. Indeed, as someone who has lost an adult child, it still tore at my heart-strings, because there is no other grief like this.

Quinn is less than impressed about the expected arrival of her new little brother, already named Otto. Her mother is sick all the time and her step-father, who has always been so wonderful for her, is as fussy as a hen clucking while both are so seemingly obsessed with all things Otto and nothing Quinn.

Quinn is disturbed by all the many changes, not least of which include her room being taken over by Otto-needs like cot, change table and so on, encroaching on the space she’s always had for herself and her adored pet rabbit, Disco.

She sees her bestie’s little brother who is cute but also maddeningly annoying as well as a wrecker like most toddlers. In short, she can think of nothing she wants less than an Otto. But when the baby is born 3 months early and is in the neo-natal intensive care unit, Quinn begins to fall in love with this funny-looking little person who is fighting for his life with the help of the wonderful medical team. Quinn’s responses swing wildly, such as when her parents tell her that when Otto comes home, she won’t be able to keep Disco due to the potential for infection for a compromised baby.

As the reader, we are with these characters every step of the way. We feel their anguish, their hopes, their frustrations, their exhaustion and, ultimately, their complete despair. Ingrid has written from her own personal experience of losing prematurely born sons and I, for one, applaud her on her resolve to share that experience with all its joys and turmoil with other families. It’s a remarkably selfless act.

You will need to warn your readers of potential triggers and I strongly suggest you could give borrowers in the library a mini-pack of tissues when they take it out on loan. It’s a beautifully written book with characters that are authentic and all too real in their responses, making the tears spring involuntarily.

I read it in one sitting being completely invested in this family’s story. I think any sensitive reader from around year 4 upwards would love it as well and it’s a 5 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹rating accompanied by much sniffling.