Nicki the skunk

4/5

UNPAID REVIEW

Hello again from the Book Fairy!

I’m back with another children’s book review, this time about a book that has already been around since 2018, but its topic is still as current as it ever was: Nicki the Skunk who tried not to stink by Noa Omer.

Synopsis:

The plot follows the little skunk boy Nicki, who is embarrassed by the stinky smells he and is parents pass from time to time. He vows never to stink like that in front of his friends and tries his best to keep any smelly winds in, but it makes him very uncomfortable. He stops playing abruptly and runs home where he finally passes wind, which makes his belly feel better but still leaves him embarrassed. Nicki even withdraws entirely from his friends and spends all summer at home, but his friends come looking for him and are absolutely fine when Nicki’s mother gives off the typical skunk stink. This makes Nicki realise that his friends accept him for who he is and he should do the same.

Review:

‘Nicki the Skunk who tried not to stink’ has 35 pages of cute full-colour illustrations and is written in rhyme. Noa Omer addresses a sensitive issue in a lovely and child-friendly way. Too often we are worried about what other people might think of us, feel embarrassed by who we are and what we look like and this is something we pass on to our children. Children should be free to explore and develop who they are without any fear of being judged or feeling self-conscious.

In this book, Nicki is lucky enough to have friends who like him for who he really is, even if that means that he’s a bit smelly at times. Sadly, the reality often is a bit different, which makes it even more important to raise strong children who have a healthy love for themselves, independent of what others might think of them.

Noa addresses the gradual withdrawal process of Nicki from his friends as he realises that he can’t suppress his smell while they play to the point that he doesn’t go out to play at all. This is again a very sad truth for many children who become more and more introverted as they feel self-consciousness, embarrassed or even get bullied. Luckily, this story has a happy ending!

Over all, I enjoyed reading this book and have also read it with my daughter. Punctuation could have been used a bit more effectively at times to support the flow of the rhyming pattern (sorry, that’s again the editor in me ;-)). Other than that, it’s a sensitive topic well handled in an easy to understand and child-friendly way.

The title is available for the UK market here (please check your amazon page in your home country for alternative links):

Nicki the Skunk who tried not to stink (free with kindle unlimited)

About the Author:

‘Nicki the Skunk who tried not to stink’ is Noa Omer’s first book. She is an eager reader and has been passionate about writing since she has written her first short story about ducks. Since then she has mostly been writing poems and short stories for children.

To pursue her passion for the art of writing, Noa worked as a creative copywriter in the advertising industry, but after a couple of years, she felt that the job was not fulfilling so she decided to return to writing, her first love and published her first book for children in 2018. Her goal is to create children’s stories “with benefits”, as she calls them, books that will inspire both young and adult readers to live a happier and more complete life.

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