“Idunno” by Amy Leask

Idunno

Amy Leask (author) Klaudia Maziec (illustrator)
Red T Media (2022)
ISBN: 978-1927425329
Reviewed by Rachel Dehning for Reader Views (12/2022)

“Idunno” by Amy Leask, illustrated by Klaudia Maziec, is a story for readers of all ages who have a childlike curiosity that remains within them and aren’t afraid to let it show. Children and adults aren’t completely different – in many ways they are similar; caring about and enjoying stories of creatures is just one of the many.

Idunno is the name of a creature that resides in us all and is picky about how and to whom it exposes itself. Everyone’s Idunno is unique to themselves and will be customized to the individual. How “strong” your Idunno is is dependent on a person’s personality and temperament, as it is essentially a part of the person’s inward being. Idunno may be talkative, or it might be more reserved and shy; neither is better or worse than another. A person’s age might influence the age of their Idunno, as well as their life experiences and other determining factors. Ultimately, no one should be ashamed of their Idunno, and it would be best for everyone if they let their Idunno’s run free every once in a while to embrace the lack of knowledge from many of us.

Reading through “Idunno” the first time around, I admit that I understood what the creature was representing, but the overall picture wasn’t playing through for me until the second and third times. My kids made sure we read it at least two or three times and found several parts of the story hilarious each time it was read. The story contains sections that are better understood for kids and others for adults. The main theme of the book is evident and clearly understood. There was enough for my kids to understand on their own and still more left for parents to have the opportunity to explain and teach their child(ren) for bonding and informational time together.

Note from Lydia (age 8) – “Idunno” is about not knowing all of the answers, but being okay with saying “I dunno.” In the story, saying “I dunno” is the same as the creature Idunno who looks different colors and usually has big, googly eyes that can look happy, sad, or caring. I don’t always like not knowing the answers to things, so I should probably read it a few more times to become more okay with it.