The Goody, written by Lauren Child , reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  Chriton Krauss was a good child.  He did everything his parents told him to do.  He ate vegetables he didn’t like and he finished his sister’s chores that she never did. His parents gave him a button that said “Goody”. Myrtle was Chirton’s sister.  She was the opposite of her brother.  She was always in trouble and it seemed like her parents let her do whatever she wanted.  She was so bad that even her friends stopped inviting her to their birthday parties.  Chirton gets mad one day and decides not to be good.  He gets punished and as a result, his sister goes to a party in his place.  She has a lot of fun and starts reconsidering why she is always so bad.  Myrtle and her brother talk about how they have hurt each other and what they should do.  Then they talk to their parents about how unfair it is to label them.  Because when they get labeled, that is how children proceed to act.  Everyone vowed to do their best.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Lauren Child is the author and mixed media illustrator of this book.  It thought the illustrations looked familiar and it turns out she is also the creator of Charlie and Lola.  This is a beautiful book with fun font.  It’s a good lesson for young children and parents alike.  It makes for a good read aloud.  This would be a good fit for any elementary school library.  Humor is woven throughout the text and the illustrations. I’m not sure if “goody” is more British slang?  However, it can certainly be explained with our US “goody-goody two shoes” phrase.  I would say the main takeaway is to not label children.  It would be a great purchase for any elementary school library.  It makes for a good read-aloud and for silent reading.  I think there could be a lot of creative crafts that can go along with this story.