Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Ethan and the Strays by John Sullivan and Hatem Aly - ADVISABLE

Ethan and the Strays written by John Sullivan and illustrated by Hatem Aly.  PICTURE BOOK.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster), 2023.  $19.  9781534471320

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A sweet and tender story about a young boy who finds stray kittens in the city and does what he can to help them, with the aid of the trap-neuter-return program at a local shelter. There is no specific reference to the boy’s ethnicity or socioeconomic status, but he is depicted with brown skin and curly afro-like hair.

I really liked how informative this story was about how to help control the feral cat population. As the protagonist, Ethan helps readers channel their love of animals into helpful action. I especially liked how the story has the brothers make use of their community resources, like the local library and animal shelter. This book could be a great way to introduce community needs and resources available to students who might be unaware that they exist.

Reviewer: Kiera Beddes, #bookswithbeddes

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