Review Detail

THE ARMADILLO WHO CAME FOR DINNER is an entertaining picture book about friendship and kindness. Wolf, Little Lamb, and Omelet are having a picnic when a boulder rolls through - except it is not a boulder but an armadillo named Dizzy! Dizzy makes a bit of a mess of things as they roll around- and get hurt. Luckily, Little Lamb has plenty of patience for their new friend and offers hugs along the way. When they head to the fair, things get a bit messy, and Dizzy leaves. However, when an actual boulder comes rolling to Little Lamb, Dizzy luckily returns to save the day.

What I loved: This was a colorful picture book with a lot of great details. Fans of these familiar characters will appreciate this new story with a similar plot to the previous books. While this one also contains themes of making new friends and kindness, it also expands to talk about being tough and what this means (particularly with regards to reactions when hurt/accepting hugs). I appreciated that Little Lamb always asks/offers hugs instead of just giving them, as a good example for children.

The writing is easy to follow and will work well for older preschoolers and young elementary school aged readers. This age group can also consider the messages and meanings of the story, reading it on another level.

What left me wanting more: As a few small things, I would have liked to see armadillo trying to make amends or other with the destruction, and it was at first troubling how many times the armadillo needed to decline hugs (though the good thing was that it was always a question and not a demand).

Final verdict: THE ARMADILLO WHO CAME FOR DINNER is an overall cute picture book about friendship and kindness that expands this fun series with a new story for fans to enjoy.