If I Had

by Fred Mayer

A boy imagines what it would be like to have a gorilla, a porcupine and other animals help him solve his problems.

If you open almost any of award-winning author/illustrator Mercer Mayer’s 250+ children’s books you’ll see dragons, cuddly monsters, wonderful creatures, and endearing critters. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Mr. Mayer spent his childhood hunting lizards and snakes in the swamps by his home. During his teenage years, he lived in Hawaii where he attended the Honolulu Academy of Arts. He later received additional training at the Art Students League in New York City. Upon completion of his studies he set out with pen and ink to write and illustrate adventures he experienced as a child.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Everett Earles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little unrelatable. But after mom told me what a big brother was, I can’t BELIEVE mom and dad haven’t given me a baby yet. What the heck you guys!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome brotherhood message.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy dreams of all the ways he can defend himself from bullies and meddling siblings if he had a variety of animals to help him (from gorilla to snake). In the end, he discovers he has a champion (of sorts) in his big brother. Not bad, even if a gorilla would be better.

Nice illustrations.

[kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sorting books at the library and stopped to read this one because it was Mercer Mayer and looked nothing like the other books by him. It turned out to be a nice change of pace. It was a really fast read and pretty fun.

[Shelbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother would laugh at the one part in this book that the kid's butt is naked.

[John]

Mercer Mayer's birthday is tomorrow (12/30), so I'm reading a couple of his books. As a child, I loved the Little Critter series.

[Kayli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and I really quite liked what it had to say about brothers in just a short little sentence and picture. Sweet and clever.