'If I Were King' with story and art by Chelsea O'Byrne is a picture book about a young boy who imagines more for his life and the trouble he finds when he gets it.

Young Thomas leads a perfectly ordinary life, but tires of never getting to choose his meals or clothes. He dreams of a life where he can do what he wants and wakes up in a castle. Now he has it all, but everyone else in the castle is also a king or queen trying to make their own choices.

I liked this story of a young boy who gets exactly what he wants and realizes what he actually had. The story is fun as are the illustrations.

4★
“There was once a boy named Thomas who lived in a regular house, had a regular life, and was quite unhappy.”

This is a beautifully illustrated book. I love the colours, the pictures, and the quirky details.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“He always ate the same old breakfast, he never got to wear what he wanted, and he always had to be patient with his little brother.”

Sound familiar? Sounds like most families I know. Even without little brothers and sister, even for grown-ups, there are times we’re tired of the same old same old. Like many of us, he loses himself in books and dreams big!

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“For breakfast I’d eat cake!”

Ah delicious! Little brother makes a nuisance of himself at bedtime, so when our hero goes to bed, he is fixated on his dream to be king. Imagine his surprise when he wakes up to find it’s true!

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“In the morning, Thomas woke up in a bed that was certainly not his regular bed in his regular house. This bed was full of toys!”

Perfect! And the breakfast table was piled high with goodies, more than enough for him and all of the other children who were also wearing crowns and could do exactly as they pleased. They stuffed themselves so silly on the pastries and ice cream that they had to be carried out of the hall!

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“After breakfast, the queasy queens and kings made their way outside for a round of mini golf. The golf course was amazing, but there was one problem.
Everybody wanted to be the winner.”

Yes, well, that happens doesn’t it? The same thing happened later, so he went in search of a book to escape and make himself feel better. But it didn’t really work. A cat came to his room to talk to him and ask if he wanted more cake.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“‘No, thank you. I’ve had enough cake. I was just thinking about my old house and how quiet it is. ‘”

Poor kid, and he says his crown is too heavy and there are too many toys to choose from. The cat sits and listens while he talks about his home, his little brother . . . and you can see where this is going, can’t you?

“Eventually, the sun went down and Thomas and the cat fell asleep. For the first time all day, there was peace and quiet in the castle.”

No prize for guessing where he wakes up, smelling the toast and realising his crown was gone.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“King Thomas had never been happier to be his regular self, in his regular house.”

I’d give this five stars for the illustrations and the moral of the story – be thankful for what you have, and be careful what you wish for. However, the illustrations far outweigh the story, since there are no little twists or surprises, but it’s a great book to read with children because there so many details for them to find. There are colours to name, shapes to identify, and items to track from one page to the next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto’s Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the lovely copy for review.

Everybody always wants to be something they are not, seeing other's grass greener. As well as Thomas. Sharing things with his younger brother is OK, but not if he take it without permission. And breakfast is so mundane that Thomas wishes for more.

Here is a story of "What ifs" from a child's perspective,

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

If I were king is a beautiful, illustrated children's book about not taking things for granted.
Thomas is a regular boy who lives in a regular house with his family. He has the same breakfast every day, does the same activities and gets annoyed with his baby brother. He wishes he could be a king and luce in a castle where he could do anything he wants when he wants. Thomas wishes that hard that he awakes the next day to find its come true. But as the day goes on, Thomas begins to realise that its not all he thought it would be and craves his old life and family.
This is a great book with a great moral to be learned for children.

Thank you to the author/illustrator and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. This book reminds me of the song from the Lion King in which Simba is singing about what he'd be doing if he was king instead of having to listen to others or do things he doesn't want to do. It's a cute story with nice illustrations. I think it is age appropriate and funny.

I absolutely loved If I Were King! If I Were King tells the story of Thomas who is tired of everything in his life and wishes he could be a King so that he can do whatever he wants. When Thomas gets that wish, it doesn’t go quite as he had hoped. I loved this book and the lesson it taught. The illustrations are beautiful. I think this book would be a great addition to anyone’s library. I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity and read this book. (My review is also on Goodreads.)

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

A story about learning to appreciate what you have, even when it's not perfect. A good lesson for children. The story flowed well and the pictures were detailed. At times it got a bit too busy but otherwise pretty good.

We read this one at bed time and absolutely loved it!

The illustrations are delightful and the message about loving old toys is a fantastic idea that I haven't seen done before and that I really think my son will benefit from reading

Very short read with nice art. What this lacked was more character arc. There wasn't enough to convince me of his transformational journey.

If I Were A King is a book about a boy who is frustrated with his home life. He loves to read and hates the loud, messy interruptions of his younger sibling. He wakes up to find he's king and can do what he wants. However, things don't go as planned and he ends up missing his normal life. The book has wonderful illustrations and imparts the message of appreciating what we have. I think kids will be able to identify with him, especially if they're struggling with a younger sibling.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I liked how the character was able to "experience" his dream reality and realize that his actual life was pretty great. This is a good option for kids that are resenting the realities of everyday life.

Thank you Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the e-ARC.

I loved the illustration...it's so adorable and well capture the messages behind the stories. The theme itself its not something new but any children able to learn being happy as any other ordinary kids do.

A cute story about the power of imagination. Ideal for gaining perspective and appreciation of things we have. This would be a great primary grades read especially when discussing other people’s points of view.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I really liked the book If I Were King by Chelsea O’Byrne. I thought that it was well written, had very cute illustrations, and that it had a good underlying lesson about being grateful for what you have. I hi k that it will help teach kids to see the importance of what we have and how sometimes more isn’t better,

This heartwarming book will turn hearts toward home. It emphasizes the importance of home and family to each and every one of us.

Thomas has had it with his family. His little brother is a pain and he gets no relief from this irritation when he wants to be left alone and read his books in peace. He is ever so frustrated and exclaims:

“If I were a king, I would be in charge! No more eggs and toast for breakfast, I’d eat CAKE! I would read books all day long, and wear a glittering gold crown that I’d never take off.”

Be careful what you wish for Thomas. The next morning he wakes up to find that he indeed is a King. He is wearing a flowing red robe and a glittering golden crown on his head. He is in charge! Hurray! He discovers that during the night he has magically been transported to a real castle and that all the kids living there are like-minded and want to be in charge too.

At first Thomas is ecstatic...Yahoooooo! He can do exactly what he wants and likes. He can eat all the cake he desires, read all the books he loves, and his pesky little brother is nowhere around to bug him. Utopia! But soon reality settles in and Thomas longs for the familiarity of his family and his home. Will he be able to make his way back to reclaim the love and security he finds there once again?

The illustrations are very colourful, detailed and kid-friendly. I love them. The book's message is inspiring as it highlights "the power of imagination and the even greater power of home."
I highly recommend this book.

This book was a joy to read and i think kids will love it! It follows a boy named Thomas who wishes he was a king as he grew unhappy with his regular life.
The story, along with the illustrations, offer an engaging tale about being grateful for the things in your life.

Although I did think the art for this picture book was pretty and whimsical, I do not think it's doing anything brand new with the premise of a spoiled kid gets to experience what he wants and learns a lesson. I think not enough time was set up to make the point feel earned, or to make an impact. I would say that this is a perfectly suitable story and the art is sweet, but it just does nothing amazing.

This is a charming little story about a boy who wishes to be a king after growing tired of his “regular” life. He thinks of all of the things he wouldn’t have to deal with as a king, eggs on toast and his annoying baby brother among them.
When he wakes up, he finds himself in a castle filled with books and toys. He and other children who have also wished to be kings and queens are now rulers of their own kingdom. While charmed at first, he soon begins to miss his normal life. In the end, he is more appreciative of his “regular” life.
While best for elementary aged children, my three-year-old loved this.
“That was a great story!” He proclaimed when we finished this. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story is fun. We would love to add this one to our library when it comes out.

A "careful what you wish for" fable about a boy fed up with his everyday annoyances and wishing to be king. Granted his wish, he realizes that there is a lot to appreciate about his home and family and goes back a bit wiser.

The illustrations are very lively and detailed. There's a lot in the pictures to identify and discuss. This would be a relatable tale for preschool - early elementary kids and could spark interesting conversations about what they would change in their lives if they were in charge and what unexpected results might occur.

Note for US readers: there's small but noticeable bits of UK/Commonwealth English that may need clarification for young readers.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books for a free digital copy.

This is a wonderful and happy little book about a boy being granted his wish and becoming king for a day, but then realizing his real life was better than his fantasy. I do appreciate his love of reading.