The Contrary Kid

by Matt S. Cibula, Brian Strassburg (Illustrator)

An off-beat and unusual child does everything differently from other people but is comfortable with his unique outlook on life

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1995

Reviews

[Sabrina Gove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fundamentally shaped my worldview and perception of myself

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A celebration of what makes us different, and it's about time! The Contrary Kid is contrary by choice from birth, contrary to what your inset beliefs are about contrary kids. The Contrary Kid eats broccoli ice cream, makes lists with the number sequence out of order, and has the nerve to question the validity of two and two being four! Best quote: "My job is to chill, and it's time I went to work!" The Contrary Kid is so cool, even when befriending a girl equally contrary, which some will find contrary to certain chauvinist precepts, which are contrary to reality since such precepts are Biblical in nature. After this book, what new stories celebrating the different await us?
Four stars
The Contrary Kids inherit the earth!!!

[Anayssa Pulido · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not so sure how i feel about this book. Although it has a good message about people learning to break away from the pack and be different than to just follow along, I think some of the things talked about in this story that the contrary kid does can be a little too different and give children the idea that it is okay to misbehave in this way at school. For example, wearing pizza on your head, blueberries as a beard, taking a bath with spinach, etc. I think it would be a good book to read to give a lesson about identifying who you are but also understanding rules and what is appropriate. It has very silly illustrations because it is a silly book. It can also be used to teach a lesson on poetry and rhyming.