Poetry Review: The Llama Who Had No Pajama by Mary Ann Hoberman

Book 1: The Llama Who Had No Pajama by Mary Ann Hoberman

1.BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hoberman, M. A. (2006). The Llama Who Had No Pajama. Harcourt Paperbacks. (ISBN: 978-0152055714)

2. PLOT SUMMARY

The story of The Llama Who Had No Pajama begins with a Llama who is missing his pajamas at a sleepover due to outgrowing them. He expresses to his mama that he is sad during his search for pajamas. His mama then tries to solve Llama’s problem by creating him a new pair of pajamas, but her attempt was unsuccessful, resulting in Llama ultimately falling asleep without his pajamas, but to the Llama’s surprise he sleeps wonderfully with any pajamas at all.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Llama Who Had No Pajama allows readers to dive into a youthful journey of a Llama who is in search of his pajamas. Poet Mary Ann Hoberman does a wonderful job on guiding the reader through the poem without confusion. The poem allows readers to create their own message of what the Llama feels when he realizes he does not necessarily need his pajamas to be who he is and is special by just being himself. I thought the illustrator created illustrations that allows the reader to have a visual of what the Llama was experiencing, but also did not give too much and allows the reader to create a more detailed scenario. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT (S)

-Gold Award Winner - 1998 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA)

-Best Books of the Year - Child Magazine

-"Hoberman's rhythms are lively and agile, and her imagination and sense of humor are still in tune with young readers. Fraser's simple but detailed gouache and watercolor illustrations exhibit the same qualities . . . Good for beginning or experienced readers of poetry, this should indeed become a favorite."—School Library Journal

-"This collection of some forty years of Hoberman verse is a charmer."—The Horn Book

5. CONNECTIONS

-This book could be used to teach individuality, mother-son relationships, acceptance or could be used as a bedtime story.

-This book can model for students with rhyming, figurative language, deeper understanding, and empathy. 




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