"The Bog Baby", follows two girls who go into the woods and find a bog baby. They take their new friend home to live with them. The girls show off the bog baby to their class, and try their hardest to care for the creature. Later on, the bog baby gets sick, and the girls mother insists on returning him to his home. Once returned, the bog baby is better, and lives on. This book teaches an important lesson about love, and how love isn't always easy, it may hurt, but if we really care for someone we must do what is best for them. The artwork was adorable, but I don't think it did an effective job in depicting the text. I can say that I did appreciate the illustrator depicting the girl's classmates with children of all ethnicities. Overall, a good story to read to your children. ( )

A fantastic tale of wonder and respect for our natural world. ( )

This is a beautiful story about love. When you love something, sometimes you have to let it go. It's also about being honest to parents. Maybe one day I will find a Bog baby. ( )

This book was truly magical. It shows children how to let go. It may be hard as it is in any day and age, but that was the only way the bog baby could get better. The fact that their children told the parents that the bog babies were everywhere was priceless! ( )

The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Gwen Millward was one of those serendipitous library finds. It had been put on display on the top of the shelves, cover out for the world to see. I had to grab it.

A pair of sisters find a bog baby on their explorations into the nearby woods. It's a little blue blobby creature with fairy wings. They decide to keep it as a pet. Being away from home doesn't agree with the bog baby and he falls ill. Eventually they have to ask for help and fortunately their mother has had her own experience with a bog baby.

The story is perfect for children who have wanted to bring some wild creature home for a pet. It gently teaches the importance of leaving wild creatures to be wild and how difficult it is to provide for them. The book also encourages exploration of children to find (but not capture) their own bog babies.

Gwen Millward's illustrations are the right balance of playful and magical. The bog baby while being obviously made up is still a sympathetic character. ( )