Book review: The Only Way is Badger, by Stella J. Jones, illustrated by Carmen Saldana

Jones, Stella J. The Only Way is Badger. Illustrated by Carmen Saldana. Tiger Tales Press, 2018. $16.99. ISBN 9781680100983. Unpaged. Ages 4-8. P7 Q7

Badger thinks all the animals in the forest need to be like him, so he puts up a wall and kicks out animals that are not like him. Because Badger sounds so sure, his friends don’t question him as they climbed over the fence and leave the forest. Finally, his world is perfect, but is it really? When all his friends are gone, he realizes he is alone. I noticed none of the animals stand up to Badger, they just go along with what he is saying because he acts like he is in authority. The rabbit’s speaking bubble says, “I do not like where this is headed,” but rabbit still goes along with Badger. The animals over the fence call to the other animals and let them know that it is nice on the other side. The illustrations show animals trying to do tasks to fit in. They also show the animals speaking bubbles and what they interject into the story. This book helps children understand that we do not all need to be alike. This book was originally published in Great Britian in 2018.

Verdict: Children often think that their friends need to be like them. Badger shows children that friends are the most important thing. It also models apologizing and saying sorry when you hurt others feelings. If I read this book to children, I would encourage children to explore how the animals might have felt to get kicked out of the forest and if the Badger was doing the right thing throwing them out. I recommend this book for young children.

December 2018 review by Tami Harris.