Inspired by a boating trip on an Arizona lake, prolific picture-book author and artist Jim Arnosky spins this story of a baby burro's first trip to her herd's watering hole. Although she loves the little hollow where she was born, the burro follows her mother when the herd leaves, descending along a narrow ledge into a deep canyon. Here she discovers the joy of playing in the water and getting cool. It turns out that Little Burro can have more than one favorite place...

Like so many of Arnosky's other works of picture-book natural history, Little Burro is intended for younger children, and will help inspire in them a love of animals and of the natural world. It is informational, but only in the broadest sense of the word, and also presents a simple but engaging story. The artwork is lovely, and captures the beauty of Little Burro's world. Like Arnosky's Grandfather Buffalo, this title has been included in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a charity which gives every child in a given region a book per month, for the first five years of their lives. Recommended to all young animal and nature lovers. ( )

summary: Little Burro has her favorite spot and never wants to leave. When her family leaves, she discovers that she can have many favorite places all at one time!
reflection: My family has been going to lakes in Phoenix ever since I was little and we always see donkeys, or burros, on the hills and in the shallow water when we go there. I thought about how I can personally relate to this book and it made me smile. I also relate hummingbirds to my grandma and I thought it was sweet that the little burro had 2 little hummingbirds with her most of the book.

I had mixed feelings about the book. I liked the book for one reason. The big idea or theme of the story was trying new things. The little burro does not want to leave her home and go to the new place the rest of her herd is walking towards. However, when she follows them, she reaches a lake and enjoys playing there. The little burro realizes she likes trying new things and the lake becomes her second favorite place.

I liked that the story gives the message that it is fun to try new things. If the little burro had remained stuck in her ways, she never would have found another favorite place. I thought that the theme encourages the reader to be open to new experiences.

I did not like the character development in the story. The other burros in the herd are nameless and do not have any defining qualities. The only scene in which the other burros interact with little burro is at the lake when they bray at each other. The do not seem to have personalities. Even the mother is used merely as a plot device to get the little burro to follow her herd. We do not hear from the mother or her character.

I think this takes away from the story and that interaction from the other burros would have enhanced the theme and the story. The reader is left with the feeling of why do these other burros not have personalities like the little burro?

Also, I did not like the plot. There was not enough action in the story and the action did not always make sense. The whole book centers on the burros walking to a lake and then walking back to their home. The little burro plays in the water but the reader is left with questions about why the action has taken place? Why have the burros never gone to the lake before, if it so close? Have the burros never left their home? Is the little burro scared to leave? Why did the burros go to the lake? The reader is left wondering why this action has taken place and what the point of the story is.
Overall, I had more negative feelings about the book than positive ones. While I enjoyed the big idea, I think that the story does not develop the characters so that the reader feels invested in the plot. I also think that the plot is boring and falls flat. The plot begs the question why does this matter? For this reasons, I had predominantly negative feelings about the book.