Maud the Koala series by J.E. Morris

 The new Maud the Koala series by J. E. Morris makes broad use of the sort of graphic novel style panels we’ve seen used so effectively in other beginning readers, with colorful illustrations in a woodcut style. Where the series really excels is in portraying Maud’s experiences in a way that makes her anxieties relatable and accessible to the target audience.

In Much Too Much Birthday, effective use is made of both text and illustration to depict how Maud’s “You can never have too much birthday” attitude is changed as she is squeezed, squashed, jostled, and jabbed. Maud’s pursuit of a little quiet seems entirely natural. There is excellence in the use of the illustrations to contrast the hectic party scene with the calm of the hiding place behind the bushes. Washing out the party scene to allow the reader to focus on the characters referenced in the text is supportive of young readers relying on picture clues to support their decoding. The ending empowers Maud to find her own solutions, both for herself and her friend Simon, which is very respectful of a child reader. 

In Fish Are Not Afraid of Doctors, Maud is nervous about her checkup and getting a shot. By pretending to be a fish, she gets through the experience just fine and gets a sticker as a reward. There is plenty of repetition of vocabulary like “vaccinations” and “pretended” throughout, and the illustrations are vibrant and engaging. The use of panels keeps the story moving for a reader. Vaccination is at one point phonetically misspelled as “vax-i-nay-shun”, which may help a more confident reader with a potentially unfamiliar word.

An adult directed Note to Caregivers at the end of each book in the series calls out the techniques depicted in the story which may help children cope with an overwhelming situation, yet for the most part the series avoids feeling like didacticism has outweighed considerations of quality. 

Librarians often hear from parents looking for an updated picture book to prepare their child for experiences like visiting the doctor or dentist. Maud the Koala fills this need, and I wouldn’t hesitate to include it in my recommendations to parents. However, it’s this strength that makes me question whether Maud the Koala is really intended for independent reading. Despite its beginning reader trim size, the font and leading are not as large or spacious as we would expect from text directed at beginning readers. Because of the effective use of panels, there’s quite a bit of text on most two-page spreads, and some lengthier sentences. Overall, intended audience would appear to be a child and caregiver together, right down to the caregiver note at the end of each books. Of the two, I think Much Too Much Birthday is more qualified as a Geisel Contender, but I think the true strengths of Maud the Koala may be best appreciated during shared rather than independent reading. What do you think?