The More the Merrier

By: Meridith Taylor Strout
Illustrated by: Remesh Ram
Publisher: Stride Publishing
Publication Date: October 19, 2024
ISBN: 979-8989419500
Reviewed by: Kathy Stickles
Review Date: December 3, 2024

It is Ella’s birthday and she is so excited in The More the Merrier by Meridith Taylor Strout. With a big pile of presents and a lot of excitement, Ella is about to learn that it is more fun to share the presents with others and to make new friends than it is to play alone.

On Ella’s special day she receives a lot of gifts but her favorite is a group of five musical instruments that make fun sounds. The present makes her so happy but, unfortunately, Ella quickly realizes that she only has two hands and cannot play all of the instruments at once, which is not as much fun since she loves all of the different sounds. So, how does a little girl solve the problem? She gathers all of the instruments together and goes to the park to show her best friend. Kate is also really excited and picks an instrument that makes a sound she loves. Now Ella starts to look around the park and finds other children she does not know who are playing alone. Without being nervous or unsure of herself, Ella boldly walks up to each of the three children and introduces herself and asks if they want to be in her new band. As the children pick an instrument and begin playing, Ella has put together a new group of friends who then play for the crowd in the park.

There is so much about The More the Merrier that makes it appealing and it is a great book to share with young children to help teach them to share. It is also an excellent way of teaching that everyone should be included when you are having fun and that it is important and enjoyable to make new friends and to be brave enough to do so no matter who they are. There are very important lessons to be learned in this story: from playing together, to learning to get along, to sharing, to making sure no one is rejected and even just a lesson on appreciating music in general. Each of these lessons are explained in the story in a simple and straightforward manner that will be fun for young children.

In addition, one of the best parts of this story are the wonderful illustrations. They are bright and cheerful and they show the diversity amongst the children, which is another lesson to be taken from the story. On a side note, I absolutely loved the little squirrel which was included in most of the drawings and he could definitely be his own lesson in learning to count as young readers try to determine the number of times he pops up in the pictures.

The More the Merrier is a great story, an excellent teaching tool, and very engaging. I would recommend it to all parents and teachers out there to read to the little ones in their care. This is a perfect example of a story that will make learning fun.

Quill says: The More the Merrier is a book that should be read to all children as it teaches such important lessons in such a fun way. All parents want their children to be social and to make friends easily, and this story helps equip kids with the tools to accomplish that goal.