If I Were King

Volume XXVIII / Issue 29 - April 1 / 2022
If I Were King
If I Were King
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If I Were King

Author: 
Chelsea O’Byrne
Beverly, MA: Frances Lincoln First Editions (Distributed in Canada by Hachette Canada), 2021
40 pp., hardcover, $22.99
ISBN: 
9780711264045
Grades: 
Preschool-grade 2
Ages: 
Ages 3-7
Review by: 
Beth Wilcox Chng
4
Excerpt: 

There was once a boy named Thomas who lived in a regular house, had a regular life, and was quite unhappy.

He always ate the same old breakfast, he never got to wear what he wanted, and he always had to be patient with his little brother.

Thomas’s favorite thing to do for fun, was read. He mostly read in his bed, hiding under the blankets with a torch.

Even though he was very sneaky, he often got disturbed.

If I Were King is a picture book about a little boy named Thomas who is unhappy with his life [See Excerpt]. He wakes up one morning and finds he is a king in a kingdom filled with other child kings and queens. The children are served by talking animals and can do whatever they wish. They gorge on sweets, but each kid wants things their own way. As the day wears on, Thomas starts to miss home. When he wakes up, he is relieved to be back home with his family.

The colourful illustrations are done in gouache and edited digitally. The other children in the illustrations are unnamed in the text, but they are physically diverse and add interest to the story with their antics.

This sweet story, a cute reminder of the joys of home, will be enjoyed by young readers.

Highly Recommended
Reviewer: 

Beth Wilcox Chng is a teacher-librarian in Prince George, British Columbia. She is a graduate of the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature program at the University of British Columbia.