Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Directed at marsupial parents of all kinds, from kangaroos and koalas to possums and bandicoots, this tongue-in-cheek guide to joey development takes it step by step, from the birth of your pinkie to where your baby goes after it leaves the pouch.  Never once dropping the pretense that this is written for pouched mammals, this manages to be both entertaining and informative, defining marsupial and covering gestation periods, size and number of young, the pinkie's trip from cloaca to pouch or pouch substitute, feeding and further development. Heos' question-and-answer text also weaves in information about where animals live and what they eat, but informally—just enough to whet curiosity and to send readers to the solid suggestions for further reading and websites. She uses appropriate vocabulary, making meanings clear in context and also providing a glossary. Jorisch's painted pen-and-ink sketches show lively, lightly anthropomorphized animals and add considerably to the humor. How can readers resist the wombat checking out her pouch or the honey-possum love fest? Both parents and offspring have personality.  This companion to What to Expect When You're Expecting Larvae (2011) is enormously appealing, an offbeat approach to learning about the natural world that targets exactly the stage young readers most want to know about. (glossary, selected bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-11)

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

This guide to marsupial babies, ostensibly addressed toward expectant parents, answers common questions about joeys (e.g., How do they stay in the pouch? When do they leave?). The questions and answers are conversational and informative (if not very scientific; text and pictures are heavily anthropomorphized). Watercolor illustrations do their part to keep the tone light and playful.

School Library Journal (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Gr 1-3 If marsupial mamas-to-be were literate, they'd appreciate this guide to the birth and care of their joeys, called "pinkies" when they're first born. Though the author has written the book as if she were talking to them, the real intended audience is children, who will delight in the humor contained in the text as well as in the colorful illustrations of animals with animated facial expressions. Presented in a question-and-answer format, the book addresses such questions as, "What if I don't have a pouch? Help! I've looked everywhere!" or, "Should I make the pouch with paper or cloth?" Each question is answered with a blend of humor and factual information, and children will be able to discern, then empathize with, the mother's concern about her offspring. Heos explains vocabulary terms specific to marsupials, such as "cloaca," "joey," and "mob," and includes a glossary that defines these and other terms associated with marsupials. Teachers using this book have the opportunity to explain what anthropomorphism means and show how it applies to the critters in this book, then distinguish between which aspects of it are true to a marsupial's nature and which ones are human attributes. Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Directed at marsupial parents of all kinds, from kangaroos and koalas to possums and bandicoots, this tongue-in-cheek guide to joey development takes it step by step, from the birth of your pinkie to where your baby goes after it leaves the pouch.  Never once dropping the pretense that this is written for pouched mammals, this manages to be both entertaining and informative, defining marsupial and covering gestation periods, size and number of young, the pinkie's trip from cloaca to pouch or pouch substitute, feeding and further development. Heos' question-and-answer text also weaves in information about where animals live and what they eat, but informally—just enough to whet curiosity and to send readers to the solid suggestions for further reading and websites. She uses appropriate vocabulary, making meanings clear in context and also providing a glossary. Jorisch's painted pen-and-ink sketches show lively, lightly anthropomorphized animals and add considerably to the humor. How can readers resist the wombat checking out her pouch or the honey-possum love fest? Both parents and offspring have personality.  This companion to What to Expect When You're Expecting Larvae (2011) is enormously appealing, an offbeat approach to learning about the natural world that targets exactly the stage young readers most want to know about. (glossary, selected bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-11)