I received another cute mother-kid review from MD – which is Mother-Daughter Book Reviews, only this time it’s Mother-Son, since her 5-year-old son reviewed Gimme-Jimmy! (They live in British Columbia)
Here’s Dominic’s part of the review: I thought that it was funny when Jimmy’s hand grew, but I didn’t feel sorry for him because he was being mean. It was a good thing that he learned to be polite and nice so that his hand could be normal. I liked the pictures where Jimmy’s hand is really big, especially the one with the kids in the classroom and the one with the computer because he’s trying to write something on the computer and he ends up smacking his face because he’s frustrated. It was fun to look for the pictures of the other books because it was like a treasure hunt. My bottom line: I liked this book and I think that both boys and girls my age and younger and maybe kids a bit older would like it too.
I also really like that the story has a strong message regarding bullying and the consequences of bullying. By the end, Jimmy learns that bullying is bad but he also learns that when you act appropriately, there are other positive consequences. I like the inclusion of Jimmy’s New Polite Rule which gives kids concrete ideas for how to behave. It’s so easy to point out what kids are doing wrong, but what this book provides is direction for what behaviours are expected from them instead. LOVE that! I love the originality of the consequences of the always saying “gimme” – it’s quite funny and it is well illustrated… My bottom line: I actually really, really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to children aged 3+. I’ve also had the opportunity to read another of Sherrill Cannon’s books, Peter and the Whimper-Whineys, and enjoyed that one as well. I’ve actually found myself asking my kids, “Do you want to go to Whimper-Whiney Land?” when they start complaining
Sherrill S. Cannon's Blog 