I Love You, Alfie Cub: When a new baby arrives in the home it can be quite hard going for the older siblings. After the initial excitement, the realisation that mummy has her hands full with the new baby and not got so much time can be tricky to understand. Having a story book like this for new big brothers & sisters, learning to deal with a new sibling and sharing mummy can prove handy.
What is it?
Little Alfie Cub is happy to meet his new baby sisters but never realised they would take so long to grow big enough to be fun! He also didn’t realise how much of his mummy’s time they would take up and how tired she would be….and he starts to think she’s run out of love for him. Feeling sad and lonely off he goes on a hunt for more love. Alfie bumps in to a wise froggy friend who shares his theory of love and makes Alfie realise there’s plenty of love to share.
What did the kids think?
Roo aged 3 said ‘He didn’t get any love. Alfie asked frog, frog didn’t say anything. I didn’t like end of it, I liked the pages and pictures…’ Hmmm…slightly worrying! The story may have hit a nerve!! He did sit intently, unlike his little brother who doesn’t sit still for much, but as soon it was over he moved on to his book about cars.
What did mummy think?
It’s a soppy story, but as a worn out mummy with three neglected cubs it did make me feel a little guilty and acted as a reminder to stop for a minute and reassure them of my love for them. It’s a bit too sickly sweet for my tastes, although there’s no denying the illustrations are lovely. It’s a little irrelevant to my gang these days as the boys are now used to their chaotic lives with each other, but going back a few years it would have been lovely as a ‘forewarning’ for my eldest as to what was to come!!
Overall 8/10
Probably best suited for under 3’s, but still a sweet tale and useful aid for little ones who have a baby brother or sister on the way. I have a friend with a little boy, who has just had twin girls so I think it may be nice if I passed this on to them.
