Gimmick far more interesting than story. Theme is obvious, and one I vehemently deny should be shared as gospel with children. We never got to know the relatives, not even most of their names. Two stars for the art, zero for everything else.

Oh, and poor design, too. I got a used copy, so I don't know how the postcards are supposed to be retained. But the dustjacket hides much of the cute endpapers, and is *not* reprinted on the cloth binding (as is usually done with picturebooks, because children do tend to destroy dustjackets). So, when the dj is secured, the art is obscured - too bad! ( )

I absolutely loved this book from the second I flipped opened the first page. I liked how the pages were interactive for the children, which grasped their attention from the start. The writing was organized in a very unique way that I have not really seen before. The pages inside the book did not have much text and dialogue how most books are written. For example, some of the pages had interactive little mail notes that are separate from the actual story. Although the book did not have much text, I think the author still organized the writing in a way that worked for the text. The illustrations worked hand in hand with what was going on in the book. I really liked how the mail cards were included, which made me want to flip to the next page. ( )

I liked this book because it is very interactive. Sunny the meerkat leaves home and writes letters to his family. When he writes letters or postcards to his family there are flaps glued into the book that the reader can flip over and read. This makes the reading experience very interactive for the reader. I also liked how the author capitalizes particular words for emphasis. For example, on the first page the author wrote, "It is VERY dry and VERY hot... TOO hot." This draws the reader's attention to those particular words and adds emphasis. The author wants the reader to understand that the main character thinks his home his more than just what we think of as hot. It's VERY hot. This capitalization also adds personality to the character because it characterizes him as somewhat dramatic. The big idea of this story is to not take what you have for granted. Sunny took his family and home for granted and decided to leave, only to find out everywhere else is much worse. ( )

An epistolary picture book! Sunny the Meerkat decides that his family is a little TOO close, so he goes to visit his relatives. Each day he travels to a different place and different set of relatives, and sends postcards back to his family. Each postcard is a little gem: a message from Sunny, a signature (sometimes he's "Rainy" or "Soggy" instead of "Sunny"), a sketch, an address, a stamp, and a pre-printed informational message about the picture on the front of the card. There are many levels of detail and it's all a delight, including the educational aspect about meerkats and mongooses. ( )

Sunny the meerkat feels his family is TOO close. He decides it is time for him to explore different living options. Every page is a new place he is loving with a distant relative. The postcard involves his message to the family and in fine print the Latin name for the type of mongoose and a brief description. Sunny needed to experience all these other places that just weren't right to realize home is where he belongs. Gravett uses realia In this book like other books she has illustrated. I would recommend this book to grades 2-4. ( )