(Review) Too Much Stuff

TITLE: Too Much Stuff
AUTHOR: Robert Munsch
ILLUSTRATOR: Michael Martchenko
PUB DATE: September 2010
PUBLISHER: Scholastic

SOURCE: I received Too Much Stuff from Scholastic to read and review.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Temina is excited about taking a trip on an airplane, and super-excited to include ALL of her toys and dolls on the trip as well. Until mom says: “You can bring just ONE doll.” Impossible! How is she going to pick just ONE? She hatches a top secret plan and sneaks more than one toy into the airport and onto the plane. While everyone around her gawks, Temina proudly displays her beloved companions. Word spreads quickly to other children on the plane, who feel lonely without their own dolls. Temina is happy to lend out her treasures. The flight becomes a happy memory for Temina and her family, and even more so months later when her generosity is rewarded in the most surprising way! Like Temina”s dolls bursting out of her backpack, this new story by Robert Munsch is bursting with humour and surprises at every turn, beautifully enhanced by the delightful artwork of Michael Martchenko!

MY THOUGHTS:
We love Robert Munsch books. We have read them all, I believe so we were really excited to hear about this newest book Too Much Stuff. A subject all parents can relate to.

I have to admit I cringe when I think about family vacations because I know if I let Michael dictate and pack his own bag we would probably end bringing every single toy he has (which is probably enough to fill a moving van). So far the farthest we have travelled with him was to Prince Edward Island and Chicago and both times were rough because there was stuff that he just didn’t want to leave behind.

So what I tend to do is tell him that he can only bring a back pack and the only rule is that he has to bring items that will entertain him the whole trip and that once he has packed it that I am going to go through it to check. Thankfully he is pretty good but he does try to sneak additional things in when your not looking.

Just like Temina does. In a parents eye it seems like the kids have 500 of everything but Temina knows exactly how many of each item she has and is quick to tell her mother that. As far as her mother knows Temina only has one doll and one toy with her but what the mother doesn’t know that her back pack is filled with toys and dolls.

At the airport she won’t let anyone help her carry her back pack no matter who it is even the security can’t search her bag because she is afraid they will find out what is in her back pack so instead they xray it just to be sure.

Its only once they get on the plane that her mother and everyone else knows what is in that huge back pack. Thankfully Temina isn’t selfish and willing to share her toys because before you know she is sharing them with the other kids on the plane.

This is a great story for kids to read. I loved that Temina was willing to share and it didn’t bother her that she didn’t get the toys back because she knew she would get some more from her grandmother. Then a few months later she gets a unexpected surprise in the mail. What could it be?