Oscar the Rabbit and his best friend, McTavish, are completely stuffed after a huge lunch. As they are resting to decide if they want to eat more, they hear someone saying, "Polly wants a carrot" "Polly wants a cracker" and when looking around they see a bird in the trees. Suddenly the bird flies down and starts eating their leftover food. Getting angry, they try to shoo her away, but find a paper with writing on it. They take it to mole, who can read, and he figures out that Polly has escaped from the circus and is lost. Putting their angry feelings aside, they venture through the forest to where the circus tents are. Polly lures them in and they have a bit of an adventure, before Polly heads to her tent and is welcomed home. Oscar and McTavish head home feeling better for what they did, and once again, hungry. This was an okay book. I think it tried to hard to be too much. The beginning has little boy humor with talk of farting, that really added nothing to the story. Of course the boys giggled, but we quickly moved on. The angry feelings about Polly eating their food, was realistic, but they changed their tune quickly and helped her. We finished the story and talked a bit about helping others and what to do if you are ever lost, but they were ready to move on quickly to another story.

The beginning of this book was kind of confusing and not in context with the story. It starts with our favorite rabbits Oscar and McTavish having a picnic with cabbage that causes wind-pops to a story about Polly the parrot and finding her home. I found the fact that the only animal in the forest that can read is a mole interesting. It was cute how the rabbits worked so hard to understand Polly as she could not speak to them. The Polly wants sentences got to be a little to much but children love repeating so it works for them. This is the second book I have read by this author and find this book a little more colorful than the last but it could still use some brightness. I like the no place like home reference and the storyline after the inital beginning.

Polly Goes Home is a cute children’s story that had me smiling from start to finish. From the moment Polly the parrot swooped into Oscar and McTavish's lives, I was hooked. The story effortlessly weaves together themes of friendship, kindness, and adventure, making it perfect for both young readers and those who enjoy reading aloud. I found myself eagerly turning the pages to see what antics Polly would get up to next and how Oscar and McTavish would overcome the challenges they faced.

A fun read any child would enjoy reading or having read to them. Slightly on the longer side for a bedtime study, however.
Enjoyable all the same.

This book started out funny to gain the attention of readers, especially young children. It was a cute story of friendship, however the book seemed a little long to keep the attention of little kids.

Hello young readers - Are you looking for a book that's as quirky and fun as it is heartwarming? Look no further than Polly Goes Home! From the moment Polly the parrot swoops into Oscar and McTavish's lives, you know you're in for a wild ride. With a hook that grabs you from the start and characters that you can't help but root for, this book is perfect for anyone who loves a good adventure. Whether you're reading it to your little ones or diving into it yourself, Polly Goes Home is sure to leave you with a smile on your face and a warmth in your heart. So why wait? Get this wonderful children's tale today and join Polly, Oscar, and McTavish on their unforgettable journey!

This little picture book about Oscar and McTavish the Rabbits, and their new friend Polly the Parrot, is one I could take or leave.

As an indie-published book, this particular story could have benefited from some tighter editing. Picture books on average are 32 pages long, while this particular title is 44.

It starts with Oscar and McTavish enjoying a lovely picnic lunch in the forest, then goes on a tangent about farts–or windy-pops–for the next four or so pages. While I loved the creative euphemism and am sure kids would get a kick out of "windy-pops", the addition felt out of place at the top of the story, especially when the real conflict doesn't present itself until page 18. I kept hoping that there would be a call back to the farts later on to justify the addition, but alas windy-pops are never heard of again.

The overall plot line of this book was sweet and I loved the idea of a rabbit in a kilt going to the circus, but I feel that children's attention spans need to be taken into serious consideration when editing picture books and this one just didn't cut out the fluff enough.

I found this story a bit all over the place. It had some interesting elements - notably the way that the rabbits gradually developed a friendship with the parrot, and helped Polly find her way home. The scenes at the circus, including the lion encounter, were fun.

But the farts and digestion did not seem to add much to the storytelling, and it felt like the author could not make up his mind as to what message he was wanting to deliver through the story. Ultimately, the point about friendship came through loud and clear, but the book seemed to take an unnecessarily long time to get to the point...

Thanks NetGalley for the early read!

This is definitely a book for little boy, with lots of fart references at the very beginning of the story. I thought it was interesting to have Scottish names and dress, not sure I’ve ever seen a Scottish children’s book! It was cute and I would recommend to families who love to read about animals.

The quite lovely, but somewhat unexpected friendship of Oscar and McTavish continues in this book. Polly the parrot is lost and needs returning to her home at the circus. Polly is a chatty parrot and my littlest one laughed fully at Polly wanting carrots but not being a fan of sausages! The friendship is put to the test, but ultimately Oscar and McTavish unite, get Polly sorted, meet a hungry lion and run home for their own food. The images are bursting with life and support the humour.

I'm not quite sure what to think of this one. I think the number of words could have been cut in half, just a lot of fluff. It would be too much to hold my student's attention.