A Hungry Lion or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals
Lucy Ruth Cummins
ISBN: 9781481448895
Read July 18, 2016
Oh my heavens this is a delightfully subversive book. We have a hungry lion, and a group of gentle woodland creatures, and they keep getting fewer and fewer as the pages turn. There's an anti-twist (because everyone knows the lion is eating them) first, and then the actual events ARE a twist, and then an even BIGGER twist at the end. Really, after all, if you have to choose an animal to be, turtle seems to be a safe bet.
Showing posts with label I Want My Hat Back. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I Want My Hat Back. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2016
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Previously Published Review: I Want My Hat Back, J. Klassen
I LOVE this book.
Got it today for our library collection, and I'm using it for storytime as soon as possible.
Just amazing.
Words cannot express just how much I was tickled by this book, but E. R. Bird (another reviewer) comes pretty close.
Short version: Bear has lost his hat. He asks the omnipresent woodland creatures if they have seen it. One of them, a bunny (the only one wearing a hat) delivers EXACTLY the kind of answer that a totally guilty 5-10 year old would give. The bear does not notice this dead giveaway, and continues on through his search, until a chance comment makes him remember that bunny's hat. Later on, another creature comes by, seeking the bunny. Guess what type of answer our bear gives?
In the grand tradition of (real) fairy tales and Aesop's fables, the lying sneak gets what's coming to him (offscreen, but with a bit of collateral damage to the surroundings) and the bear is contentedly reunited with his hat.
If you are a super-protective parent, or lacking a subversive sense of the amusing, or of the type who underestimates the bloodthirstiness of children seeking justice, you may want to give this a pass. Otherwise, it is spot on, and just a perfect story.
Got it today for our library collection, and I'm using it for storytime as soon as possible.
Just amazing.
Words cannot express just how much I was tickled by this book, but E. R. Bird (another reviewer) comes pretty close.
Short version: Bear has lost his hat. He asks the omnipresent woodland creatures if they have seen it. One of them, a bunny (the only one wearing a hat) delivers EXACTLY the kind of answer that a totally guilty 5-10 year old would give. The bear does not notice this dead giveaway, and continues on through his search, until a chance comment makes him remember that bunny's hat. Later on, another creature comes by, seeking the bunny. Guess what type of answer our bear gives?
In the grand tradition of (real) fairy tales and Aesop's fables, the lying sneak gets what's coming to him (offscreen, but with a bit of collateral damage to the surroundings) and the bear is contentedly reunited with his hat.
If you are a super-protective parent, or lacking a subversive sense of the amusing, or of the type who underestimates the bloodthirstiness of children seeking justice, you may want to give this a pass. Otherwise, it is spot on, and just a perfect story.
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