Free Kid to Good Home
Age 6+
Humorous Stories Comic Strip Fiction / Graphic Novels
An hilarious story about sibling rivalry and a child’s impulse to run away from home—(and come back again!)
“When my squawking baby brother arrived, I realised 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.
In this comical twist on sibling rivalry, a girl decides she needs a new family—so she writes Free Kid on a box and waits in the street for some better parents to choose her.
Translated from the Japanese edition, this accessible story is perfect for children starting on independent reading and is illustrated in a graphic comic style that really 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.
Hiroshi Ito was born in Tokyo, Japan, and graduated from Waseda University with a degree in education. He began creating picture books while still a student and has since published many award-winning books.
Praise for Free Kid to Good Home
"Ito uses words and pictures with equal skill to craft this hilariously willful little visionary." The New York Times
“an instant classic.” Children’s Publishers Favorite Reads of 2022, Publishers Weekly
“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.” The School Reading List
“young readers…will be rewarded by getting to know this can-do narrator.” The Horn Book
“more and more profound with every read.” Just Imagine
“This is a GEM of a book and I can see why it is a bestseller! Highly recommended.” NZ Poetry Shelf
Creators
Hiroshi Ito was born in Tokyo, Japan, and graduated from Waseda University with a degree in education. He began creating picture books while still a student and has since published many award-winning books.
Reviews
Ito’s deadpan humour and the character’s emotive facial expressions inject jocularity in a welcome exploration of the anxiety that some children face in response to siblinghood.
Publisher's Weekly
young readers…will be rewarded by getting to know this can-do narrator.
The Horn Book
This is a wonderfully quirky book for young readers. It explores that almost universal sentiment of sibling rivalry (and anxiety) in a humorous, light hearted way; the story is subversive, the humour is deadpan and the spare black and white line drawings with red accents are incredibly effective. This is a hilarious experience for any family with children aged 5 and up and a delight for independent readers aged 7 and up.
Readings
This is a GEM of a book and I can see why it is a bestseller! Highly recommended.
NZ Poetry Shelf
