Deliciously flippant, hilariously willful little visionary.
Free Kid to Good Home
A comic-style chapter book about sibling rivalry and a child’s impulse to run away from home—and come back again!
“When my potato-faced baby brother arrived, I realized I needed a new family. No one seemed to mind when I packed my bag. I took a box and used my best handwriting to write ‘FREE KID’, then waited for some new parents to take me home.”
Waiting in a box like an abandoned pet and encountering the passersby changes the girl’s perspective. At the end of the day, when her parents pretend they need an older sister for their new baby, she is ready to leave her box and go happily back home.
This comical twist on sibling rivalry is translated from an enduring Japanese bestseller, now in its 31st edition and at last available in English.
This accessible story is perfect for children starting on independent reading and is illustrated in a graphic comic style that captures childlike subversive humour. Ideal for fans of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip.
A useful book to teach young children about welcoming a new baby sibling to the family, or exploring playful sibling relationships, through funny and lighthearted storytelling.
Translated by Cathy Hirano
Look inside video | Author Q&A
Ebook available wherever you buy your ebooks
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Book Details
Country of Origin Japan Reader Age 6-8 year Book Size ISBN
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Reviews
Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.
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Publishers Weekly –
Children’s Publishers Favorite Reads of 2022
Expressive illustrations, a spare and funny, evocative text, and, most of all, Ito’s keen sense of how kids think and feel about prickly issues like jealousy, anger, and their place in their family, have made this an instant classic for us.
Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids 2022 –
A tongue-in-cheek tale of finding home.
Just Imagine –
What appears at first to be the simplest of books, becomes more and more profound with every read.
Stella, Volume Books –
Irresistible! I liked this book so much I’ve read it twice already!
The Horn Book –
The chapter-book trim size should appeal to young readers looking to tackle a longer book; they will be rewarded by getting to know this can-do narrator.
School Reading List –
A light, engaging tale that will appeal to comic book fans and all young readers who have secretly (or not so secretly) resented the arrival of a potato-faced baby to the family.
Red Reading Hub –
An absolute delight. This is a great read aloud story but equally, it’s ideal for new solo readers.
New York Times –
Ito uses words and pictures with equal skill to craft this hilariously willful little visionary. Deliciously flippant.
Netgalley Educator –
Elementary kids will get a real kick out of this story! There is a lot of humor and heart here.
Kathleen H, Netgalley –
Free to Good Home is delightful! 5 stars.
Publishers Weekly –
Ito’s deadpan humor and the characters’ emotive facial expressions inject jocularity in a welcome exploration of the anxiety that some children face in response to siblinghood.
Youth Services Book Review –
The book’s goofy illustrations and deadpan humor are endearing. This would be a welcome exploration of unease at the arrival of a new sibling for children ages 3-7, with older kids reading it on their own and younger ones with an adult.