What's Wrong Little Pookie

What's Wrong, Little Pookie? by Sandra Boynton

Have you ever had a day where you're just feeling "blah," but don't know why? Pookie, a little piglet, is having one of those days, and his mom is on a mission to figure out what's wrong. She starts out by asking him the obvious--is he cold, hungry, etc.--but soon realizes that Pookie just needs some good old-fashioned cheering up and starts asking him silly things like, "Did a very large hippo try to borrow your shoes?" Soon little Pookie forgets why he was upset in the first place.

I have to admit that my first reaction to the book was "eh," and so was Isabella's. She punched Pookie in the head, grabbed the book out of my hands, and put it in her mouth. But I'm the kind of person who gives things another chance, so the next night, I picked it back up and read it again. Isabella had the same reaction as she did the first night, but she has a two-minute attention span these days and only seems to be interested in things that make lots of noise and furry animals.

I, on the other hand, warmed up to the book as I was having one of those "blah" days myself and realized that Pookie's mom was really just trying to cheer him up. I found myself grinning at the funny picture of the giant hippo trying to wear Pookie's tiny pink shoes and feeling a little more lighthearted after reading it. While my daughter is only interested in eating her board books right now, I can imagine a day when I will read this book to her, and she will giggle at the funny images and scenarios.

I can also see the value of using a similar technique for kids that have a bad case of the grumpies. While this is not my absolute favorite book by Sandra Boynton, What's Wrong, Little Pookie? is a cute book that can come in handy when your child needs some cheering up.