Don't Copy Me

by Jonathan Allen

‘Don’t copy me!’ Every parent and carer will recognise this refrain. But how will Little Puffin manage to stop three cheecky, little gulls from copying everything he does...and says? Little Puffin is patient and turns his frustration into a clever plan. With his usual wit and flair, Jonathan Allen neatly weaves this simple tale into hugely enjoyable entertainment for all the family.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Humor, Friendship

25 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Tina Haigler · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's rare that I read a kids book I'm not a fan of, but that's what happened here. I wanted to love it but I just didn't. It was ok, but I felt it lacked a decent resolution. Instead of teaching a lesson about how much it upsets the person being copied--and how rude it is--it comes across like the one being copied is simply no fun. A fuddy duddy you might say. Maybe I'm just overreacting because I've always hated that game, but the first thing I thought about while reading this was if a child hasn't already learned to play that game, than this book would teach it to them. Honestly I wouldn't want my kids reading it and thinking it was ok, or fun, or anything positive at all. Luckily my kids are older and way past the point of mimicry. The artwork was good though. It was colorful, cute, and uncomplicated. I can't say I would recommend this, but to each their own.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore Allen's illustrations. And these were great. But I wasn't the biggest fan of the story for two reasons. 1) I hate copy games. HATE them! They really can be annoying and I was feeling that annoyance as I read. Of course, that may be just the thing that kids would love in a storytime or lap-read. 2) That was not a satisfying resolution for me! Puffin thought about how to solve his problam with wits and without losing his temper. And his reward? That his patience and wit and calm attitude were completely disregarded. Um... I'm sure there wasn't meant to be a lesson involved in the story. Just one with a funny ending. But still. That would have very much aggravated me if I were Puffin and did the right thing and it didn't pay off. Oh well. It's a personal thing and I'm sure others won't be bothered at all by it.

It got 3 stars mostly because the pictures are adorable and I could just hear Baby Gull being read aloud by a narrator. So cute! (Even if annoying.)

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha ha ha! Every kid has experienced a copy cat at some time. I like that there's no moral here. The child can decide how they feel about the Puffin and his companions.

[Osmara Rico · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book talks about Little Puffin'. Hes turns to say the words as three cheeky gull chicks follow him around, imitating his every word and step. He tries to stop them. He sat down and the three gulls too. After a few minutes the gulls got boring, and they walked away. Little Puffin was so happy, because he thought the three gulls were gone. But they were hiding and when he did not see them, they started to follow again.

[AMY]

This is a silly book about a puffin who gets tired of little gulls who keep repeating his words and actions. He finally decides he must include his new friends in the situation. Recommended for Grades K-2

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations in this book. You can almost feel the puffiness of the puffin and the chicks. Haven't we all been in the position of not wanting people to copy us? The puffin thinks he has found a solution but the last page is a fun twist.
Cute book.

[Zahrah Al-Merei · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous book that can be used when children are going through the 'don't copy me!' stage.

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copy the Puffin! B

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A puffin is followed by three little gulls who are copying his every move. Can he get them to stop? cute and funny. preschool and up

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing with adorable illustrations. Poor Puffin has to cope with 3 baby seagull copy cats.

[Jennifer W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally cute!

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun read aloud

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and silly book.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute. Definitely feels like the author knows a few older siblings - younger siblings relationships. :-)

[Nicole]

A stressed out puffin is tormented by persistent tiny gulls. As someone who craves silence and solitude, I was not a fan.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great picture book for anyone who has ever had younger siblings who double as mimics.

[Mia J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think young kids will love this book! It is so adorable and funny with the little chicks copying everything the puffin does and says.

[Emma Borshell · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

Class read-a-loud. 📖 I didn’t like this one very much.

[Kelsey Doll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just bored with this one. Could be cute if I’m doing a storytime about copycats…

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jonathan Allen's picture books are really popular, and if you like cute, fuzzy birds, you'll like his books. They also seem to be good for contrary young'uns who like saying, "I'm not ___" or in this case, "Don't ___!" Don't Copy Me! is about Little Puffin, who has three little gulls (Small Gull, Tiny Gull, and Baby Gull) constantly following him around and copying everything he does and says. The plot follows Little Puffin's attempts to get them to stop following him.

I remember being really annoyed with other kids copying me as a child (and to tell the truth, it's still one of my biggest pet peeves), so it's funny that this and another 2012 picture book release, Another Brother, deal with the same theme. Personally, I like the art in Another Brother better. While I do like the fuzzy, cute birds in Allen's works, they translate onto the page as looking like bad scans (IMO). Still, I think children will like the mild repetition, and this would make a good bird storytime pick (though "I'm Not Cute!": I'm Not Cute! would be more of a crowd-pleaser, I think).

Ages 3-5

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Little Puffin heads off on a walk all by himself, he is followed by three little gulls who all copy him. How annoying! He tried to scare Small Gull, Tiny Gull and Baby Gull away, but they all just repeated what he said to one another. Little Puffin tried shouting at them and that didn’t work either. He sat down to think how he could end the game, and all three little gulls sat down too. Little Puffin tried running and that didn’t work. So he tried sitting very still so they would get bored. You will have to try out the book to see whether that worked or not.

Read the rest of my review on my blog,Waking Brain Cells.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think "This is the Song That Never Ends," but in book form. Little Puffin finds that he has a group of Gull chicks following him, mimicking his every move. He successfully outsmarts them only to find that the Gull chicks pick right up where they left off, ending the book where it began. Artwork plays with texture to create fuzzy creatures. The pictures use black outlines in some places and leave them off in other places to great effect. For me the artwork was more impressive than the story, but if I had to sum it up in one word "cute" does the job.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Puffin just wants to go on a walk, but he has three shadows--the gull chicks who copy his every move. Will they ever listen when Little Puffin says, "Don't Copy Me!"?

What I thought: THis is the first book by Jonathan Allen I've read. I enjoyed it. It's just right for preschoolers. The illustrations are appealing with bold outlines, bright colors, and good use of white space.

Story Time Theme: Birds

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who hasn't been annoyed to no end by other kids repeating everything they do and say? In this story Small, Tiny, and Baby Gull are taunting Little Puffin by copying his every movement and word. He thinks he's outsmarted them, but we all know it never works that way. It would be fun in toddler or preschool storytimes - you could have the audience participate for additional silliness.

[L. Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are going through the "copy" stage. This book helped my daughter to understand it's not so funny sometimes for others if they are not laughing with you. She also understood there are other ways to handle being "copied", i.e. sit quietly, don't yell out of anger. My daughter really enjoyed this book and recommends it to her friends.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't copy me was an excellent book, I must say the little gulls in the book made it funny and reading to the children in my class, I would ask them questions about what they thought if someone was copying them. So it was like a lesson in the book to see how it felt when the gulls copied the puffin.

I got the book from the Youngstown Public Library.

[Ingrid · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Jonathan Allen, but this one fell a little flat for me. I am still going to try it out on a Storytime audience, I think the kids will still like it. For me, it felt like I was involved in the birds' game and that game is annoying.

[Laura Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can just see every child who has this book read to them doing the "Copy Game" for the next week to everyone around them. How Annoying--Even if they aren't copying you! No thanks...I won't be teaching any children the "Copy Game" any time soon.

[Diana (Bever) Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical childish behavior: copying someone else when he/she doesn't want to be copied. Of course, our hero (some sort of cross between a toucan and a penguin) comes up with the bright idea to sit very still and bore his followers away. Does it work?

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another colorful fun read aloud from Jonathan Allen. Little Puffin is being followed and mimicked by three small gull babies. This could be a good discussion book for preschool and kindergarten teachers to share and talk about how "copycatting" makes someone feel.