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Free Kid to a Good Home by Hiroshi Ito   {Reviewed by STELLA} Irresistible!  I liked this book so much I’ve read it twice already! From the delightful premise to the simple yet evocative illustrations, this will capture young readers' attention and yours too. Free Kid to Good Home is for all of us who have had to accept the arrival of a younger sibling, for all of us who have thought about running away, wondering about greener pastures or feeling a bit restless at home, and for anyone who’s ever tried to sell themselves or give away surplus goods. Not that this kid is surplus at all — far from it! Recently translated from Japanese, this bestseller first published there in 1995 and now in its 31st edition, is a standout. It has lost nothing in translation nor time and, like Russell Hoban’s A Baby Sister for Frances, remains relevant. Siblings still keep coming along, upsetting the equilibrium. So when Potato Face seems to be taking too much time and attention, our heroine decides it's time to make a move. A good box will do the trick. She positions herself with a well-written sign and waits for someone to notice her. While she’s waiting, she imagines all the great things that will await her in her new home. A great backyard to play in, servants to take her to and from school, amazing parties with lots of friends, no potato-faced brother, and rich and smart and beautiful parents! When a likely new parent (she avoids the ones with other kids — no way!) comes along, she sits up straight with her best smile. No takers. Maybe she needs to be more creative — a fun kid! Oops, too much fun — “No one’s going to feel sorry for a kid who’s dancing.” Waiting isn’t much fun so she’s quite pleased when a lost dog joins her, then a cat, and finally a turtle. (The reaction to the turtle — the looks on the faces of the other three in the box — is perfect). They all talk about their ideal home and one by one they are selected from the box except for the kid until…a young couple come by (with a quiet baby). Hiroshi Ito’s illustrations give great depth and humour to the interactions between the kid and her world, dovetailing and enhancing the text. He says, “ Humour is most important to me. It’s a means of survival. Some issues feel so huge they can crush you if you confront them head on, but humour helps us approach problems from a different angle.” The illustrative style is simple, with its spare use of black lines and details in red and plenty of space to focus your attention on the action. His aim is “for illustrations that might not look special at first glance but invite a closer look…art as a means to make myself happy and other people happy.” The images are sparky and spontaneous — just right for this kid and this story. As I said at the beginning, irresistible — it was a good thing that I wasn’t a character in this book — I would have taken this kid home. Fortunately, I can have the book instead.