Why am I an Only Child?

For whatever reasons, we have just one daughter, A. She is a very loving child, and loves playing with younger children. If there is a baby around, chances are A will drop whatever she had been doing and make friends with the baby. And I have seen that younger kids are very happy around her. We do know a few single child families, but most of her friends have siblings, and sometimes she gets very upset about not having one. When I see all this, I feel bad for her, but our reasons stand. So she is an only child.

WHY AM I AN ONLY CHILD?

Written by Jane Annunziata & Marc A Nemiroff

Illustrated by Margaret Scott

Published by Magination Press

Ages 4-8 years

Image: Courtesy Amazon

Eudora is a little rhino who is an only child. She does not understand why her friends all have siblings and she doesn't. She is very lonely, sad, and sometimes mad!

She wants someone so that she is not lonely. So that she can have someone to play with. So that sometimes she can be the boss. And so that she doesn't feel so very different from everybody else.

She comes to her parents with her questions.

"Why don't you give me a brother or a sister?!?
Did I do something wrong?
Don't you want MORE like ME?"

Her parents tell her that "We would like a MILLION of you." They reassure her that she is precious, and loved very much, but "all families are different."

They ask her if she can think of anything good about being an only child. Eudora thinks...and thinks...and comes up with the good things on her own. And finally concludes that "Every family has its own right size."

The book has a feel-good factor with the little rhino arriving at her answers by herself and being reassured that she is very much loved. I have used this book with A not only to help her deal with being an only child, but also to stress on the fact that all families are different.

Illustrations by Margaret Scott are worth a mention. Clear, child-like line drawings with cheerful colours without going over the top. A child could easily draw similar pictures. Suggestion: Could be used as an activity.

The authors are clinical child psychologists and the book has a very useful note by them for parents and guardians. A good book for single child families. For whatever reasons.