The Most Important Thing

A group of animals put their heads together and try to determine which physical attribute is the best to protect themselves. The bunny thinks it's his long ears. The bird believes it's his wings. While each animal announces its strength, the others picture themselves with that same trait. In the end, the owl teaches a valuable lesson that no one attribute is better than the other. Instead, each animal possesses different traits and that's what makes each and every one special and unique.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is a silly story that had my daughter laughing and wanting to reread it over and over. The illustrations are bold and humorous with animals possessing different parts of other animals. I love the message that the most important thing to be is you and how everyone is unique in their own way. Of course, it's perfect the owl is the one to say this because he's the wisest one of the bunch. The format is engaging with the flaps that fold out on each page to reveal a surprise from the animals, enough to stimulate a child's imagination.


Final Verdict: Overall, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is a very entertaining book. I would recommend this for parents looking to share a laugh with their child. It's also perfect for fans of animals and learning about their defense mechanisms against predators.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is a story about what makes us special. The animals have all gathered together, and they are considering what is the most important feature. First, the rabbit says that the most important thing is to have long ears. All the animals imagine that they have large ears too. Next, the hedgehog says that it is most important to have quills, and the animals imagine that they have quills too. The discussion continues until owl suggests that maybe all of these are important - but on different animals that make them all unique and important.

What I loved: This is a story about the problem with comparing and the utility of appreciating all the things that make us different. Children will giggle as the animals are shown under flaps with what was suggested to be most important thing, such as with long necks or webbed feet. The repetitive nature of the story will work best for young readers, such as toddlers and preschoolers. The flap idea was pretty cool with reveals of the animals underneath. The font itself is large, clear, and easy to read throughout the book.

What left me wanting more: The images are really simple, which may work as pages turn quickly. While the pages are a bit thicker than typical, they are still fairly soft, and some of the flaps ripped the first time we read through it, perhaps because of the large size and tough little hands. The journey and conclusion was stated outright to give the theme and a more subtle approach may have worked better.

Final verdict: Overall, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is a silly picture book about appreciating the things that make us different.