PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Memo and the Unexpected Gift by Fonda Ozlem Seran and Ezgi Keles

MEMO AND THE UNEXPECTED GIFT

by Funda Ozlem Sedan and Ezgi Keles

illustrated by Ezgi Keles

Amazon Crossing Kids, 2023

ISBN: 978-1662512926

Source: Blue Slip Media

Ages 4-8

All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Book cover & illustrations provided by Blue Slip Media. 

Book summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

There’s something unusual about the kitten Memo finds in his yard. Memo lives in a small cottage with his grandmother. But his grandma can’t see very well anymore, and she falls asleep all the time. Memo starts to feel a bit lonely…until the night he discovers a stray kitten. The boy and cat become fast friends. But as the cat grows and grows (and grows), Memo realizes that this kitten may not be a cat at all. And it most definitely doesn’t belong in a cottage! Memo needs to make a plan so that his friend can get home safely. What will become of his big, furry friend?

REVIEW--SPOILERS AHEAD

Memo and the Unexpected Gift tells the sweet story of a boy befriending a cat only to learn there's more to the cat than he first thought. There is plenty of humor, especially when what seems to be a realistic story with a boy, his grandmother, and an adopted cat living together, suddenly becomes fantastical. My favorite picture is when readers see that the cat is a gigantic lion that fills the whole two-page spread. And the resulting solution to Memo's loneliness problem (his grandmother's poor eyesight makes it hard for them to do most fun things together), definitely made me smile. However, while the digitally-created illustrations are adorable, there were several hiccups in the story. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to picture books is when the text and illustrations contradict each other or don't make sense. Memo and his grandmother live in a cottage 'in a small town'. That small town is actually a distance away in the illustration. Later, grandmother almost puts the cat into the washing machine. The house clearly has no electric hookup and in the opening illustration has laundry hanging on a line. 

In addition the change from realistic story to fantastical made the story a bit disjointed. The cat behaves exactly like a cat until it's revealed to be a lion and then it behaves like a person and mails the boy a gift?! The characters are likable, the illustrations are cute, but the story didn't fully work for me. Many young readers on the other hand may love the surprises and laugh at the unusual ending.

SAMPLE ILLUSTRATIONS