Rafa and the Wrong Legs

For the most part, this is a sweet little story about a common kid experience. It's nicely illustrated, has a little bit of humor, a little bit of whimsy, and a lot of empathy for the experience of being a kid.

However, there's a weird plot twist right at the end that derails the narrative and robs the scene of the big emotional note it's been building to. And after that unexpected lurch, the ending that would otherwise have felt just right instead falls flat and seems too sudden. By this point I'm always fumbling to explain to the kid why there are five moving parts on one too-sparsely-elaborated page, and so I usually just rush through it so I can be done. It's a shame to end an otherwise good book this way!

KID VERDICT: He likes this one a lot and keeps reaching for it, but he is also confused by the plot twist and reliably starts asking me for explanations I don't really have.

For the most part, this is a sweet little story about a common kid experience. It's nicely illustrated, has a little bit of humor, a little bit of whimsy, and a lot of empathy for the experience of being a kid.

However, there's a weird plot twist right at the end that derails the narrative and robs the scene of the big emotional note it's been building to. And after that unexpected lurch, the ending that would otherwise have felt just right instead falls flat and seems too sudden. By this point I'm always fumbling to explain to the kid why there are five moving parts on one too-sparsely-elaborated page, and so I usually just rush through it so I can be done. It's a shame to end an otherwise good book this way!

KID VERDICT: He likes this one a lot and keeps reaching for it, but he is also confused by the plot twist and reliably starts asking me for explanations I don't really have.