Our Twitchy

Some of the previous reviews criticize how this book is bad at being an adoption story, but that is not this book's ONLY purpose. It has a lovely, feel-good thing about it, and a book--especially one for children who can really not comprehend--doesn't have to make sense to be fun and receive good reviews. This hearty tale is a tale one will enjoy reading several times over, for even though some say it serves no purpose as an adoption story, it is a lovely, slightly wacky story that makes everyone feel great. Sometimes something is below average until you look at it from a different point of view, and this book, by most of the negative reviewers, is misunderstood, and is delightful in every way.

I loved it from the first read, and have recomended it to all the adopting couples I know. A perfect way to sum up any diffrences in the way a family looks or acts.

Our Twitchy, written by Kes Gray and illustrated by Mary McQuillan, is an absolutely adorable new picture book which I cannot recommend enough. The pictures are bright and eye-catching. The story is well-paced and well-done. It explains adoption to young children in a simple and loving way. (Be forewarned, because this review is going to give away exactly who adopts Twitchy.)Twitchy is a cute baby rabbit whose parents tell him that he is adopted. Prior to this revelation, he thought nothing of his mother being a cow and his father being a horse. The parents explain how his "bunnymom and bunnypop" had many children (sixteen, to be exact) so they (the cow and horse) took him in and raised him in a house full of love. Initially, Twitchy does not believe them. When he looks at his parents' reflections in the water alongside his own, he sees the similarities - like their big brown eyes - and not their differences. Confused, Twitchy runs away. The parents search high and low for the little rabbit. Finally, they hear something making soft "moo" and "neigh" sounds. They discover their son in an unusual state. Twitchy has attempted to look more like his farmyard parents by putting mud on his white fur to make it white, using clothespins on his floppy ears to make them small and folded, and attaching a twig to his tail. The adults clean Twitchy up and tell him that they love him just as he is. They emphasize that they ARE his parents, no matter what. Twitchy is content once more and they prepare to have their typical dinner, something all three of them enjoy: carrots!If you are a parent or a schoolteacher, pick this up. It is a wonderful way to introduce kids to the concept of adoption. It reinforces the fact that love makes you a family. Pick up People by Petere Spier and It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr while you are at it.

The collaborative effort of Kes Gray and Mary McQuillan, Our Twitchy is a thoughtful picture book story about a young bunny who comes to realize that his parents don't hop the same way he does. He was adopted - a traumatic revelation, but he soon learns that families don't have to look the same as one another to be a family. Our Twitchy is recommended as a kind-hearted, simple introduction to what adoption is and means, distinguished with simplistic yet vivid color illustrations.