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A review by lagobond
The Society of Distinguished Lemmings by Julie Colombet
3.0
A goofy, silly, chaotic romp with a large cast of highly distinguished, yet short-sighted and conceited lemmings. In the starring roles, we have the lemming Bertie (who doesn't quite fit in) and his new friend: a large, good-natured bear. Over the course of the usual adventures, we learn that it's good to be friends with others, even those who are not exactly like us. And that it's okay to be who you are, even when others don't think you're up to snuff. And that even when you think you already know all the cool stuff in life, you can always learn something new from others. There are plenty of silly puns and giggles along the way. The busy illustrations are fun to explore.
My main issue with this book is that it looks like it was written for 4-year-olds, but I imagine it would be difficult to read out loud. It's an endearing, funny book with clever illustrations, but I think the target audience is a bit older than what one would expect from the format. Then again, maybe that's just me. My other issue is that the story sort of reinforces the idea that people (lemmings) we don't like at first can become friends if they do something for us. Friendship is not the same as reimbursement for a good deed, or at least I don't think it should be.
My main issue with this book is that it looks like it was written for 4-year-olds, but I imagine it would be difficult to read out loud. It's an endearing, funny book with clever illustrations, but I think the target audience is a bit older than what one would expect from the format. Then again, maybe that's just me. My other issue is that the story sort of reinforces the idea that people (lemmings) we don't like at first can become friends if they do something for us. Friendship is not the same as reimbursement for a good deed, or at least I don't think it should be.