Kona and the Lumpy Bumps
Carly Major
Lolly Books (2024)
ISBN: 979-8989884605
Reviewed by Diana Coyle for Reader Views (10/2024)
Kona is a sweet Pit Bull that loves rolling in the grass but hates taking baths in “Kona and the Lumpy Bumps” by Carly Major. He loves chewing on shoes, licking frogs, and even digging in the trash when Mom isn’t looking. He loves leaping into muddy puddles, eating stinking fish, and even loves lying on the rocks in the garden. But when he goes to sleep, he likes his blanket just so or else he can’t get comfortable enough to fall asleep.
Kona just won’t have any lumps or bumps in his sleep blanket, and he will stop at nothing to make sure it’s perfect for him to get comfortable on. But when his family watches him move the blanket around numerous times to get it just right, he finds it difficult telling them just what he’s feeling and why the blanket has to be just so for him. Does Kona finally get the lumps and bumps out of his favorite sleeping blanket?
This children’s story was one in which this adult reviewer absolutely fell in love with Kona the Pit Bull and hoped that he would finally get his blanket in the right position, without any lumps and bumps, so he could get a good nap in. He’s an adorable dog that children and adults alike will fall in love with; he’s so cute and comical that you’ll find yourself smiling over his silly antics. The story is told in a rhyming pattern that makes reading this story a pure delight from start to finish.
In telling Kona’s story about having such a problem settling for his nap when his sleep blanket is lumpy and bumpy, it tells children that it’s okay to be different. It also teaches them that there will be times when they won’t be able to express themselves and that’s fine too. Everyone has quirks about them, and they make you a unique individual. Kona’s story opens the dialogue between children and parents allowing them to discuss things that might make the child frustrated
The illustrations provided by Michael Coller were vibrant in colors and found on every page of this adorable children’s book. They were so vivid to the eyes that they not only stood out to the readers, but they were the perfect accompaniment to explain the written story in picture format. Readers of all ages will surely enjoy looking at Kona and seeing how he goes about having fun in his daily routine. Plus, the illustrator did such a remarkable job with Kona’s facial expressions that you can’t help but giggle at his antics throughout the pages.
Major has written this book because she has three daughters who battle anxiety and sensory sensitivities and who better to help explain that it’s okay being an individual with unique needs, fears, and anxieties than Kona himself. Kona is the perfect role model in teaching children the importance of accepting their own uniqueness, as well as that of others.
One fun fact to mention about the character Kona is that he was the author’s real Pit Bull. She felt he was the perfect role model to use to teach children an important lesson in accepting themselves and others around them. She believed writing this book with Kona in it would be the perfect way to honor his memory now.
Overall, “Kona and the Lumpy Bumps” by Carly Major is one book that would be a wonderful addition to any children’s library. It is a book that children will read over and over again just to enjoy Kona’s story and to see his silly antics displayed within the entertaining illustrations provided. This reviewer highly recommends this book!