Teddy Loses His Ears by Christine Milkovic Krauss

Teddy Loses His Ears by Christine Milkovic Krauss
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Teddy is a rescue cat who lost his ears from frostbite. Teddy has inspired a series of stories with his true-life adventures that share relatable messages of kindness and acceptance. Teddy hopes that his stories will raise awareness to the organizations that saved his life, and thousands of other animals’ lives every year.

Everyone has the ability to make the world a better place.

I loved the way the narrator briefly described Teddy’s backstory without going into much detail about it. Rescued animals often have mysterious pasts, so it made perfect sense for the narrator and the kind human who later found him to not know much about what this cat’s early life was like. This also gave me a lot of room to imagine who might have looked after him in his kittenhood and what sort of life he had with them.

The simplicity of the storyline meant that I think it would be a good choice for kids who are just beginning to learn how to read on their own. Frostbite was the most difficult word included in it, and the text was sure to explain what it meant for anyone who might not know. This also covered a topic that I haven’t seen mentioned too often in picture books and that can be very appealing to kids who love animals.

One of the biggest reasons why I chose a five-star rating for this tale was the compassion that was woven into every scene. Readers were encouraged to feel compassion for Teddy as he mourned the loss of his ears as well as for the other cats who were confused by his appearance and kept asking him questions about why he didn’t have ears. I also adored the heartwarming message the narrator shared in the final scene that tied everything together and encouraged human readers to think about how they can incorporate it into their own lives.

Teddy Loses His Ears was a beautiful read.