Sunny Wants to Play

3.8

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Author(s)

Katty Maurey

Publisher

Tundra Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 11, 2025

ISBN

978-1774884812

Buy This Book

Sunny is the only kid in a big family.

She wishes she had someone to play with, but it seems like everyone has someone except her.

When she finally gets her wish and is invited to play with the neighborhood kids, it's a bit more than she bargained for . . .

Maybe being the only child has its advantages!

This beautiful story invites readers into Sunny's quiet world with its lazy afternoons and sleepy, distracted adults, and Katty Maurey's delicate and gorgeous artwork perfectly evokes both the calm and not-so-calm moments, in this celebration of introverts, comfort zones and new experiences.

Editor review

1 review

Will someone come play with me?

June 08, 2025 (Updated: June 30, 2026)

Overall rating

3.8

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

3.0

There are plenty of people in Sunny's life. That's not the problem. However, her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who live with her would rather watch television or read than play with her. As she goes shopping with her mother, she is envious of other children who have brothers and sisters to play with, and even the dogs in the park have playmates! When the adults in her home are sleeping in the afternoon heat, a knock comes at the door. It's a neighbor boy, asking for Sunny. She goes out to play and meets other children in the area, and gets to run, jump, and participate in games with them. When the frenetic activity ends with Sunny getting hit in the face with a ball, she is more than happy to return to her quiet home for some quality snuggles with her mother.

Good Points

The thing that I found most interesting about this book was the setting. Sunny and her family appear to be of Asian descent, and there are some indications in the pictures that this book is not set in North America. There are signs in a different language, people sleeping in the afternoon, and even a large mesh cover on the table that looks to be for keeping bugs out of food. I would have loved to know more about where Sunny lives.

Being an only child is an singular experience, and most picture books do tend to focus on families with several children, and play up the problems siblings have getting along. It's interesting to see the challenges that Sunny faces. As much as I fought with my brother, it was always good to have someone to go on bike rides with, play board games, or run around the yard.

Pair this book with Phelan's Druthers or Chen's Play With Me when a little one is bored and doesn't know what to do. This could be a good springboard for discussion to plan activities that don't involve other people.