Stepping out of our comfort zone is something that many of us are very reluctant to do. We like to stick with things that are familiar and that feel safe. The problem with doing this is that a life without adventures can be rather dull. You also learn less about yourself and the world when you restrict yourself. In today's picture book you will meet a koala who is too scared to venture down from the tree that he calls home, and as a result his life is both lonely and predictable.
The Koala who could
The Koala who could
Rachel Bright
Illustrated by Jim Field
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Scholastic, 2017, 978-1-338-13908-2
Kevin the koala has simple needs. He likes to have a tree
to sit and nap in, and leaves to eat. He likes a quiet life, which is why he
likes to stay in his tree and avoid change. From his vantage point the ground
beneath him seems “a frightening place,” and so he stays well away from it.
Trying new things just isn’t something he is interested in doing.
One day Wombat
invites Kevin to “come down here and play,” but Kevin stays put. Even after the
roos tell him that there is nothing to be afraid of on the ground, Kevin declines
to join them; he firmly clings to his tree.
Day after day
Kevin sits in his tree, living his life the way he has always done. Then one
morning Kevin wakes up and something is very wrong. A bird is pecking on his
tree. In fact the birds is pecking the tree so vigorously that the tree starts
to list and lean. Closer and closer to the ground it gets, with Kevin holding
on for dear life. The other animals gather below, offering to catch him if he
will just jump, but Kevin is too scared to do something so dangerous.
All too often we
are prone to holding on to things that are familiar and safe. We avoid trying
new things because they are unfamiliar and scary; we cannot be sure how things
will work out if we try these new things. In this amusing picture book, we meet
a koala who resists change at every turn, until something happens that turns
his life upside down. Children will be fascinated to see how things work out
for Kevin. and they will delighted to discover that his story has a surprising
ending.
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