Book Reviews: The “Llama Llama…” Series by Anna Dewdney

Save the drama for your llama! The Llama Llama collection is one of Dolly’s favorites!

“Dolly Llama” makes sure we’re not missing any Llama books!!

Llama Llama Red Pajama Dewdney’s first book of this series, “Llama Llama Red Pajama”, is a home run as far as picture books go. It’s a story parents and kids alike can relate to: Mama Llama says good night and puts Little Llama to bed and goes down stairs to clean up and take care of a few things. But Llama can’t sleep and needs her back. He worries and wimpers and hollers until he gets her back! The sing-songy rhyming in this book and the whining and yelling that the reader will have to do as Llama make this book one of the most fun to read. The accompanying artwork sets this book apart from the others you’ll see at the bookstore, as each page is its own picture painted on canvas, which you do not see often. Buy this book for the next birthday gift of any child you know. You can even buy a stuffed Llama to cuddle with as you read it!

Llama Llama Mad at Mama
My second favorite to the original Llama Llama book! When Mama Llama takes Little Llama shopping with her, he is bored and miserable and he throws very big tantrum to show her. Chips and soda and shoes go flying everywhere! Mama is stern and smart and makes Llama responsible for cleaning up the mess he makes. She teaches him that running errands for the family is a challenge for her too… but that they can make it fun and much quicker if they shop as a team! The rhyming is witty and sing-songy like the first book, and again, both parent and child will relate and find this book humorous while learning a useful lesson.

Llama Llama Misses Mama
This is a great book to read to a child who shows separation anxiety when Mom or Dad leave them for a quick errand, but especially to a child who is about to start school for the first time. It reads as a dose of reality…Llama is nervous to start school and for Mama to leave him for the day. He learns that there is lots of fun activities at school and new friends to enjoy them with until Mama comes back for him…and she’ll always be back.  Like Dewdney’s other books, her colorful artwork on canvas is the perfect accompaniment to a well written tale. The gentle rhyming draws you into the sadness as you see a tear roll down Llama’s sweet face and share in the joy at his Mama’s return!

Llama Llama Home With Mama
Little Llama is sick at home in his red pajamas…and Mama is taking good care of him, of course! He has to deal with taking his medicine and resting, and as the day goes on and he starts to feel better, his boredom is quickly replaced when he realizes he now needs to take care of his Mama, who is now sick herself! The painted illustrations show sick and sneezing and crabby faces which contrast with the really quick and funny verses, sure to put a smile on your little ones face! I think this book is on-par with Llama Llama misses Mama as far as the easy reading rhyming, which is sure to get stuck in your head. When baby and I have both actually been home sick together, this has honestly been the perfect read to cheer us up!

Llama Llama Holiday Drama
Llama Llama spends all of December helping his Mama prepare for Christmas, and it’s a long wait for the big day!  While I don’t feel that the rhymes roll off your tongue the way the previous Llama books do, each rhyme show us more pre-Christmas activities like decorating the house, baking and shopping for gifts, all in preparation for Christmas that seems ice ages away for little Llama. The book shows that Llama is a good sport for helping out, he learns patience and teamwork and the fun you can have just getting ready for a special holiday. And after a mini meltdown when the waiting gets the best of him, Mama sweetly explains that we do all those things to get ready for spending a perfect day of being together as a family. This book is a good purchase if you are  looking for a gift to give a child around the holidays. Better give it to them early so they don’t have to wait forever like Llama!

Also available as a part of the Llama Llama book family is “Llama Llama Time to Share”, “Llama Llama and the Bully Goat” and “Nelly Gnu and Daddy Too”. But stick to these above first, they are the best of the bunch.