Bud

Bud by Kevin O’Malley is a wonderful children’s book about coming into your own.  Free spirited Bud was born to loving, but proper parents.  They liked things neat and tidy; he likes things in their natural environment (which is normally messy).  Bud’s parents introduced him to gardening at a young age and it grew into his favorite hobby.  What his parents did not realize was Bud was such a maverick he took gardening to a whole new level.  He became enthra lledwith gardening and created a jungle of plants in his room and in the back yard.  One day Bud’s grandfather, a very orderly man, came to visit.  Bud’s parents were so scared his grandfather would not approve they hid Bud’s gardens.  Will Bud’s grandfather find the garden?

This was a very cute book about being your own person.  Bud loved to get dirty and play in his garden. This was who he was.  Children can relate to this because, as a child, exploration is very important.  This book will help instill the idea of individualism in each child that reads it.  Many children want to fit in with their peer so they conform.  This books with teach children that it is better to just to be yourself. 

There are a few funny quote bubbles that bring more humor to the story, but for the most part the illustrations in Bud are lackluster.  They do not help the reader have a better understanding of the story.  Most of the pictures are just the text in visual form.  Being a children’s book the pictures are needed, but I felt that they could be better crafted.  The inside cover art is very appropriate to the story.  It is a drawing of flowers Bud did on the financial section of the newspaper.  Older readers will appreciate the juxtaposition of the bright crudely drawn flowers on the stark stock quotes.