Review - A Big Change for Daisy

A Big Change for Daisy
by Keri T. Collins
illustrated by Cynthia Baker-Gusman
Date: 2020
Publisher: Purple Butterfly Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 42
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

What happens when your world is turned upside down and you have no choice but to change? Daisy's simple life of sleeping all day is about to get disrupted when a small creatures comes to live with her. Daisy's life as she knew it will never be the same. See what coping skills Daisy uses to get through her big change.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a confection of a picture book about a dog who undergoes a big change in her life.

Daisy the English bulldog is the princess of her own castle. She eats, sleeps, and plays whenever she wants. But, one day, her castle is invaded by a Chiweenie named Lilly Rosa. Daisy is not pleased with this change, but meditates on the issue and decides that change is good.

The message is pretty heavy-handed, and I'm not a fan of the way the dogs are given such human characteristics. (The dog meditates? Really?) It's very obvious that the author intended for this to be a "message" book; there are even pages at the back that have tips for coping with change. They're not bad and some of the tips might be helpful in some cases, but when taking action is referred to as "sparkle", it's all a bit much. A book this twee is liable to give you cavities.

The writing is mediocre from a technical standpoint and not that consistent. The illustrations are okay; you can tell they're done by someone who specializes in pet portraits. I'm not really a fan of the layout of the book, though, with some of the words highlighted with a fancy, coloured font. It kind of disrupts the flow, and I didn't always think that the highlighted words needed to be highlighted.

Overall, this is just an okay book. It will probably have more of an audience in kids who like reading stories about dogs. As a book that tries to teach about embracing change, it seems just a little too simplistic in that regard.

Thank you to NetGalley and Purple Butterfly Press for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5