When you’re a small child, there’s nothing more exciting than opening a gift—but what happens when that gift is something you don’t really like? Adam finds his new stuffed koala’s yellow eyes scary, and no matter how often he hides Koala, the toy somehow always ends up back in Adam’s bed (placed there by well-meaning parents). Koala even reappears when Adam tries to “lose” him at the grocery store and the park. Adam’s parents’ efforts to quietly reunite the two just make Koala seem all the more ominous to Adam. There is a lot of humor in both the story and the illustrations, but it’s never at the expense of the child, who is genuinely afraid of his creepy toy. The understated text leaves a lot of room for Charles Santoso’s colored pencil illustrations to fill in the young child’s emotions, from his original delight at opening a gift, to his fear, disgust, frustration, anger, and eventually acceptance. Varied compositions also highlight Adam’s problem solving techniques—as well as the way in which they are thwarted. (Ages 3–6)

What’s not to love about a cute, cuddly...creepy toy koala? This is the story of a boy and the stuffed animal he just can’t seem to shake.

Adam does not like Koala. Koala is a little creepy.

Adam tries explaining this to his parents. He tries putting Koala away—far away. He tries taking Koala on a long, long walk. Nothing works. Will Adam ever be rid of Koala?

This darkly funny debut picture book from Sean Ferrell and Charles Santoso celebrates imagination and bravery while addressing a universal childhood dilemma: what to do about that one stuffed animal who just won’t stop staring at you.