My Uncle Max

Joan Sanderson is a professional storyteller doing “Book Talks” for
Minnow Books.

This Annikins book has a soft, simple story line and would appeal to
very young children. It is told in the first person and is about the
beautiful relationship that can develop between a small child and a
special adult.

The teller is explaining to his friend Jimmy why, if he could write a
story, he would write about his Uncle Max. As he explains, “Uncle Max
is the greatest and he is for real.” He is the kind of uncle any child
would love to have, because Max still has a child in him. He drives a
great old car, climbs trees, goes fishing, builds forts, dresses up on
Halloween, tells stories, but beyond that he listens, he really listens.

The pictures are amusing and colorful, and help us understand the great
Uncle Max. In one or two places, there may be too many details on a tiny
page for small eyes.

All in all a pleasant book, with a confident upbeat ending. “I’ll
bet if I wrote a story about him everybody in the whole world would want
an Uncle Max just like mine. Even Jimmy.” What better way to introduce
a young child to the possibility of a safe, affirming adult relationship
other than that with his or her parents.