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Edwina the Emu: A Hilarious Rhyming Picture Book for Kids (Ages 4-8) About Ten Little Emus and Family Jobs
TEN little emus?! You've got to be kidding! When Edward and Edwina Emu find themselves expecting ten little emus, Edwina tries her feathers at a variety of jobs to support the growing family, from chimney sweep to ballet dancer. Rhythmic, rhyming verse by Sheena Knowles and hilarious illustrations by Rod Clement make this an entertaining picture book that's perfect for reading aloud. This sequel to the popular Edward the Emu is an excellent choice to share in the classroom or at home—both adults and kids will laugh at and sympathize with the Emu family.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
September 7, 2019
4★
'YEEK! shouted Edward, he seemed to be choking.
'Ten little emus? You've got to be joking!'
'I'm not,' said Edwina, 'but don't get depressed.'
I'll look for a job, you stay on the nest.'"
YEEK, indeed! Ten little offspring at once would frighten anyone! I've not read the first book, Edward the Emu, but I have no doubt it's as attractive as this one.
Edwina starts looking for work.
She sees an ad for a dancer, "if you've got the legs", and she most certainly has legs! She braves the city and joins the seasoned (unsmiling) commuters. (Note the bus sign!)
The cover shows her trying out (unsuccessfully) for the ballet.
She has other YEEK! moments and attempts being a living chimney sweep. Finally, she tries serving in a restaurant.
That started off well, until the customer ordered EGGS!
"'YEEK!' said Edwina, she seemed to be choking.
'You want to eat EGGS? You've got to be joking.
'I'm not, said the man, eating eggs is the best.
Once I ate ten of them straight from the nest.'"
That does it. She takes herself home and tells Edward it's time she took her turn on the nest. Then, suddenly - ten little hatchlings appear!
After naming them all, we have one last YEEK! moment.
The story is fun and the pictures are just glorious!
Silly and cute and not typical of any emus where I live. Perhaps there are some artistic ones in the outback who attend the Adelaide Fringe Arts Festival!
'YEEK! shouted Edward, he seemed to be choking.
'Ten little emus? You've got to be joking!'
'I'm not,' said Edwina, 'but don't get depressed.'
I'll look for a job, you stay on the nest.'"
YEEK, indeed! Ten little offspring at once would frighten anyone! I've not read the first book, Edward the Emu, but I have no doubt it's as attractive as this one.
Edwina starts looking for work.
She sees an ad for a dancer, "if you've got the legs", and she most certainly has legs! She braves the city and joins the seasoned (unsmiling) commuters. (Note the bus sign!)
The cover shows her trying out (unsuccessfully) for the ballet.
She has other YEEK! moments and attempts being a living chimney sweep. Finally, she tries serving in a restaurant.
That started off well, until the customer ordered EGGS!
"'YEEK!' said Edwina, she seemed to be choking.
'You want to eat EGGS? You've got to be joking.
'I'm not, said the man, eating eggs is the best.
Once I ate ten of them straight from the nest.'"
That does it. She takes herself home and tells Edward it's time she took her turn on the nest. Then, suddenly - ten little hatchlings appear!
After naming them all, we have one last YEEK! moment.
The story is fun and the pictures are just glorious!
Silly and cute and not typical of any emus where I live. Perhaps there are some artistic ones in the outback who attend the Adelaide Fringe Arts Festival!
April 6, 2022
Sequel to Edward the Emu. Edward from book 1, now has a wife in Edwina, who has laid 10 little eggs. (Although if anyone knows Emu's their eggs are far from "little".)
Edwina leaves Edward to sit on the eggs, and goes out to try and find a job. Poor 'Dwina experiences a lot of negative reaction to her antics at trying to become a dancer, a chimney sweep, and a waitress.
Much like Edward in the first book, she discovers being herself back where she belongs is the best choice for her.
Edwina leaves Edward to sit on the eggs, and goes out to try and find a job. Poor 'Dwina experiences a lot of negative reaction to her antics at trying to become a dancer, a chimney sweep, and a waitress.
Much like Edward in the first book, she discovers being herself back where she belongs is the best choice for her.
October 18, 2020
One of my favorite Australian children's books!
[Placeholder for UC beta read]
[Placeholder for UC beta read]
June 24, 2013
Beautifully illustrated but the message is bizarre. Edwina, though energetic and talented, finds the only job society will allow her to have is that of Mother. So disappointing, especially after the delight of Edward the Emu.
March 4, 2013
I'm really just confused about this whole thing. This book is a huge mess from start finish - and slightly offensive to boot.
So here we have two emus - Edward and Edwina. One day Edwina's like yo! Edward get it in gear because I just laid ten, count 'em, TEN EGGS. Edward starts to freak out, but Edwina's got in under control. Why? Because she's a woman on the fast track of life, that's why. Stay here and look after the eggs Edward, mamas gonna go out and get a job.
And so Edwina goes out and interviews for a wide variety of jobs, faithfully taking the bus to each one (how civic minded and eco friendly our feathered protagonist is!). But wait! No one will hire her. At each and every one people basically go "whoa! That's a bird! We can't hire a bird here! I don't even know what paper work we'd begin to fill out for that!" But Edwina never looses her cool, just shrugs it off and says that no worry, she'll find the JOB just for her. See what I did there? SHe specifies JOB each time.
The only problem is, she never does. Instead she comes back to the nest because, uh oh, wacky daddy can't handle being left alone with children and her place is obviously in the nest!
So what we're left with here is an aborted plot point about an emu on a city bus trying to find a job that ends in a bit of a back slap to feminism.
What is this book's target audience?
So here we have two emus - Edward and Edwina. One day Edwina's like yo! Edward get it in gear because I just laid ten, count 'em, TEN EGGS. Edward starts to freak out, but Edwina's got in under control. Why? Because she's a woman on the fast track of life, that's why. Stay here and look after the eggs Edward, mamas gonna go out and get a job.
And so Edwina goes out and interviews for a wide variety of jobs, faithfully taking the bus to each one (how civic minded and eco friendly our feathered protagonist is!). But wait! No one will hire her. At each and every one people basically go "whoa! That's a bird! We can't hire a bird here! I don't even know what paper work we'd begin to fill out for that!" But Edwina never looses her cool, just shrugs it off and says that no worry, she'll find the JOB just for her. See what I did there? SHe specifies JOB each time.
The only problem is, she never does. Instead she comes back to the nest because, uh oh, wacky daddy can't handle being left alone with children and her place is obviously in the nest!
So what we're left with here is an aborted plot point about an emu on a city bus trying to find a job that ends in a bit of a back slap to feminism.
What is this book's target audience?
September 20, 2015
This one totally did not work for me. It seemed that the entire point of the story was to teach children that a woman's place is in the home (no matter how hard she tries to do something else). There is nothing at all wrong with a mother or father choosing to stay home with her/his children. But there is definitely something wrong with a message that a woman ought to stay home even if there is something else she would also like to be doing with her life.
May 19, 2011
This is a remarkably funny children's book that will become an adult favorite. Although this book is intended for children ages 3 to 6, it will have must adults laughing. Edwina feels that she must get a job after laying ten new eggs. Her husband is terrified because he doesn't know how they are going to support ten emu chicks. Edward becomes a stay-at-home father while Edwina searches for the perfect job. This is a must read!
September 6, 2013
Edwina and Edward suddenly have 10 eggs so Edwina decides she will go out and get a job - with hilarous results. Anothing rhyming treasure from Sheena Knowles. I read this to a group of "special" kids the other day and they loved it. It does have some tounge twisters so if your going to read it out loud you might want to practice it first.
November 29, 2016
Cute sequel to Edward the Emu, in which he and Edwina have had 10 little eggs! Edwina decides she needs a job to support their little ones, but has trouble finding the right job for her.
October 11, 2022
Great sequel to Edward the Emu!
July 13, 2017
Not my cuppa tea. I suppose it is supposed to be funny, because an emu working as a chimney sweep might be a bit daft? But I was waiting for the drum roll at the end. It didn't entertain my daughter much either. I'm not sure, in fact, how children are expected to understand the "joke" of parents scrambling for jobs when they're expecting. That's rather adult humour, isn't it? And you end up with a rather convoluted message that's a bit hard to decipher: don't lady emus usually carry on and start up another nest after they've successfully laid eggs? Why is this emu different? The only intended message I can figure out seems rather inappropriate. Maybe the author just didn't really think this one through.
September 20, 2021
I read the review and was sure that several people got this wrong until I read the book. What, are you kidding me? Is this 1950? No editor or publisher or agent caught this? It is both insulting to women and men. As if men cannot be highly talented and dedicated stay at home parents. I won't even mention the message given to women. Children of both genders should not be exposed to this book. It is not charming or cute. It is dangerous and I think the author must have an agenda. Ugly.
January 23, 2013
This is a great book for teaching/introducing vowel sounds and identifying long and short voewls. I read the book stop on a word say it, have the kids try to spell it on marker boards or at least write the vowel sound they hear. They love it and its a good quick assessment to see who is understanding the vowel concepts or not.
January 27, 2016
Edwina and Edward Emu have 10 eggs. Edwina immediately feels the urge to go get a job so she can take care of the eggs properly, thusly leaving Edward to fend for himself and the eggs while she's gone. Every job she encounters isn't quite right, but Edwina is undaunted. In the end, Edwina realizes the perfect job for her is back with Edward and the eggs.
Lovely illustrations.
Lovely illustrations.
September 24, 2011
So delightful! My husband prefers this one of the two (its companion Edward the Emu). My favorite is the conclusion when you meet the ten little emus. What a delight! My husband didn't expect to like these as much as he did.
October 21, 2019
The moral of this story is that a woman's place is in the home, looking after children. Nobody wants her in any other job, she's not cut out for it and thinking she might be is ridiculous.
Three stars for artwork, minus 1000 stars for messaging.
Three stars for artwork, minus 1000 stars for messaging.
December 16, 2008
Great pictures, feel free to laugh. I like the shoes.
May 1, 2010
Yeek! A fabulous picture book.
February 28, 2011
We LOVED Edward the Emu so I naturally thought that we would love this one as well. This one had the rhyming verses, but this one just wasn't as enjoyable.
February 14, 2013
Nothing wrong with just being a "mom".
April 30, 2015
A follow-up to Edward the Emu, this book has the same captivating rhyme and rhythm patterns, but the story line is a bit more forced. Still, a great book to read aloud to young ones.
July 26, 2016
Fun--interesting to note that male emu's incubate the eggs and care for the young.
September 1, 2018
Edwina the Emu is a sequel to Edward the Emu. They meet in Edward the Emu and in Edwina, they have little babies. They are so proud, but need money to support their family. Edwina sets out to find a job. She tries to be a ballerina and a few other things, but each place kept rejecting her. She finally had to go back to the house to stay with her babies.
I thought this book was ok. Some people think that it is offensive and the message is wrong because no one will hire the woman bird and it teachers children that a woman's place is at the home. However, we read this in school and the teacher didn't portray it that way. They worked on predictions and other skills in second grade. I thought it was a good book to study predictions since there is a book before this one.
If I were to teach this lesson, I would take the same approach my teacher did. She read Edward the Emu first, and then made predictions on what Edwina would be about in a whole group setting. She wrote this on an anchor chart in the front of the classroom. They read the story whole group and then watched a read aloud video. We also, learned about Emus and some interesting facts. She wrote these facts on the board in a whole group setting. I would take this a step further and have them write about their emu in an informational writing and then try to draw one. They would need to "hook" the reader with statements like "did you know that emus..." and "have you ever heard of a bird that...". Then, they would write their facts on a paper and do their best to color an emu!
I thought this book was ok. Some people think that it is offensive and the message is wrong because no one will hire the woman bird and it teachers children that a woman's place is at the home. However, we read this in school and the teacher didn't portray it that way. They worked on predictions and other skills in second grade. I thought it was a good book to study predictions since there is a book before this one.
If I were to teach this lesson, I would take the same approach my teacher did. She read Edward the Emu first, and then made predictions on what Edwina would be about in a whole group setting. She wrote this on an anchor chart in the front of the classroom. They read the story whole group and then watched a read aloud video. We also, learned about Emus and some interesting facts. She wrote these facts on the board in a whole group setting. I would take this a step further and have them write about their emu in an informational writing and then try to draw one. They would need to "hook" the reader with statements like "did you know that emus..." and "have you ever heard of a bird that...". Then, they would write their facts on a paper and do their best to color an emu!
August 18, 2025
The sequel is never as good, but Edwina is still a lot of fun. Edwina finds her purpose by the end. Unlike Edwin, her role has less to do with finding herself as an emu and more to do with her motherly role.
Moral: YEEK! Mom should be with her children.
Length: I think you’ll finish it before all 10 eggs hatch.
Favorite Line: “‘YEEK!’ shouted Edward, he seemed to be choking, ‘Ten little emus? You’ve got to be joking!’”
Overall impression: Edward and Edwina are a lot of fun. My only wish is that Edwina could have found herself without children being the focus. Being a mom is importsnt business for sure, but dancing or cleaning chimneys on the side would be a worthwhile job too. Plus Edwin was killing it as a stay-at-the-nest dad.
Moral: YEEK! Mom should be with her children.
Length: I think you’ll finish it before all 10 eggs hatch.
Favorite Line: “‘YEEK!’ shouted Edward, he seemed to be choking, ‘Ten little emus? You’ve got to be joking!’”
Overall impression: Edward and Edwina are a lot of fun. My only wish is that Edwina could have found herself without children being the focus. Being a mom is importsnt business for sure, but dancing or cleaning chimneys on the side would be a worthwhile job too. Plus Edwin was killing it as a stay-at-the-nest dad.
October 27, 2024
The sequel to Edward the Emu falls short of a 5 star review for one reason only and that is the names of the little emus. "Fatty" and "Knobbly Knees"? Really? The author failed here. With Edward and Edwina, what about names that all begin with the letter "E". The illustrations are fun and Edwina's attempt at several jobs in order to support the new family are entertaining. "I'll find the right job yet" is an encouraging way to deal with her lack of success at ballet, chimney cleaning and waitressing.
Let's give those little emus real names instead of "Fluffy" and "Scruffy" when they all look exactly the same.
Let's give those little emus real names instead of "Fluffy" and "Scruffy" when they all look exactly the same.
December 16, 2020
TEN little emus?! You've got to be kidding!
When Edward and Edwina Emu find themselves expecting ten little emus, Edwina tries her feathers at a variety of jobs to support the growing family, from chimney sweep to ballet dancer.
Rhythmic, rhyming verse by Sheena Knowles and hilarious illustrations by Rod Clement make this an entertaining picture book that's perfect for reading aloud. This sequel to the popular Edward the Emu is an excellent choice to share in the classroom or at home—both adults and kids will laugh at and sympathize with the Emu family.
When Edward and Edwina Emu find themselves expecting ten little emus, Edwina tries her feathers at a variety of jobs to support the growing family, from chimney sweep to ballet dancer.
Rhythmic, rhyming verse by Sheena Knowles and hilarious illustrations by Rod Clement make this an entertaining picture book that's perfect for reading aloud. This sequel to the popular Edward the Emu is an excellent choice to share in the classroom or at home—both adults and kids will laugh at and sympathize with the Emu family.
December 12, 2025
I felt really sensitive reading this, but I liked the message of trying everything and not worrying about what people think. It's nice that she got home with her babies, but it also would have been nice if she'd been treated better by others and succeeded at the things she tried.
I enjoyed the funny names and the rhyming. The graphics were well done too. Very expressive faces that sold the story. I'm sure kids love this story.
I enjoyed the funny names and the rhyming. The graphics were well done too. Very expressive faces that sold the story. I'm sure kids love this story.
December 1, 2018
Edwina and her mate Edward are about to be parents of ten little emu's. Edwina convinces Edward to sit on the eggs while she goes out in search of a job. During her job search, she finds out a startling discovery, and she returns home to share the nesting duties with Edward until the eggs are hatched adding to their family.
June 11, 2019
I enjoyed Edward the Emu but I love Edwina the Emu! The rhyming was fun and the illustrations were gorgeous. It was a sweet little story.
March 14, 2020
This book had lots of rhythmic wording which will help young readers. The one thing about the book that seemed off was the ending. the mother emu never ended up getting a job, and the baby emu's were all hatched. It is a fun book to read due to the fact that an emu is looking for a job.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews