Haibu: Lost in New York
By: Blake Freeman
Topics to consider: disobeying parents, mention of blood, orphans, and animal abuse.
4.5 stars
This book is so adorable and teaches very, very obvious lessons. Haibu is a little girl who disobeys her parents, gets lost, and changes New York for good. The story teaches that animals have feelings, too. It sheds light on the abuse found in zoos and also teaches the reader to conserve our resources.
The main thing that made this book not 5 stars for me was that there were absolutely no bad consequences when Haibu ran away. In fact, there were good consequences! I feel like “disobey your parents and you might meet new friends, have tons of fun, and save all the animals” isn’t necessarily the wisest lesson to put in a children’s book.
Haibu: Lost in New York is a much more intense book than I thought it would be. There was one important fight scene that taught about overusing our resources in a very impacting way. This story will definitely get your kids talking.
I think this was a very unique book with an important message. The story was well done, the pictures were adorable, and the book as a whole was quite enjoyable.
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