Beyond the Moving Box
Most books about moving follow a predictable arc: kid is sad, kid moves, kid meets a neighbor, kid is happy. Augustine respects the reader more than that. It spends real time on the longing for the familiar—the grandparents, the specific layout of a bedroom—which makes the eventual 'ice-breaking' feel earned rather than forced.
Melanie Watt uses a clever device here: Augustine is shy, so she communicates through her sketchbook. This isn't just a plot point; the book itself is filled with Augustine's 'revisions' of classical art. You'll see penguin versions of Van Gogh, Picasso, and Matisse. It’s a brilliant way to introduce art history without the 'museum voice' that usually bores kids to tears.
For families who already love Watt's Scaredy Squirrel or Chester, you'll recognize the expressive, slightly neurotic charm of her characters. It’s less frantic than Scaredy, but it carries that same warmth. This is the kind of book that stays on the shelf long after the move is over because the art is just that fun to look at.
If your kid is a 'drawer,' they'll likely grab their own colored pencils the moment you finish the last page. It’s a great jumping-off point for a rainy-day activity: ask them to 'penguin-ify' a picture of your own house or a famous photo.
