30 Aug Monthly Book Spotlight: The Good Decision – Making a good decision can seem simple
Making a good decision can seem simple — until you’re a small child with a very good idea that goes spectacularly wrong. In Jo Dabrowski and Cate James’ new picture book, Albert discovers that good intentions don’t always produce good results.
Albert wakes up ready to face the day, but almost immediately things begin going wrong.
He isn’t actually trying to cause trouble. Quite the opposite: Albert frequently thinks he is helping, fixing a problem or coming up with a perfectly reasonable solution. Unfortunately, his family doesn’t always see it that way.
From waking baby Bob to tackling breakfast and making some questionable choices about clothes, one unfortunate decision follows another. Before long, the familiar verdict — “That was a bad decision” — becomes part of the joke.
That repetition should make The Good Decision particularly enjoyable as a read-aloud for younger children, who can quickly begin anticipating what comes next.
But underneath the mishaps is a reassuring idea for children: making a mistake doesn’t necessarily mean you were trying to do the wrong thing.
Albert’s day provides plenty of opportunities to talk about why we make certain choices, what happens when things don’t turn out as planned and what we might try differently next time. The book also leaves room for children to consider whether Albert’s decisions really were “bad”, or whether he was simply learning how to solve problems.
Illustrator Cate James adds another layer to the story through the characters’ expressions and body language, giving young readers visual clues about how Albert’s family is responding to each new disaster.
There is plenty here for preschoolers and early primary children to recognise. Most have had an idea that seemed brilliant right up until the moment it wasn’t.
And rather than turning decision-making into a lesson about always getting things right, The Good Decision takes a much kinder approach: good judgement develops through experience — and sometimes experience can be very funny.
The Good Decision
published by Simon & Schuster, h/b RRP $24.99. Ages 3-7 years
About the author and the illustrator.
Jo Dabrowski is a children’s author and bookseller who is passionate about children’s literacy. Her titles include the middle-grade novel Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski, (shortlisted for the 2024 Readings Prize) and The Making of Martha Mayfield (CBCA Notable 2026), as well as the hugely popular picture book, Dear Broccoli (CBCA Shortlist 2026). Jo lives in Melbourne with her husband and two boys in a very colourful house filled with books.
The book is illustrated by Cate James is an illustrator, artist and author based in the beautiful Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. She moved here from Edinburgh, Scotland in 2015 and loves the sunshine. She has been working as a full-time freelance illustrator since 2010 and has a background in printmaking.
