From Publishers Weekly
Offering a compendium of laws "that just plain don't make sense," this volume pairs zany illustrations of some "crazy" laws with occasional dry paragraphs devoted to questions like "Why Do We Have Such Crazy Laws?" and "What Is the Oldest Set of Laws Ever Written?" Griego (Christmas Is for Me) uses funky, rainbow-colored letters to emblazon each silly statute across the top of a drawing; his cartoon characters flout the laws as often as they abide by them. Most involve animals: "Trout fishing is against the law if you are sitting on a giraffe's back. (Idaho State Law)"; here the giraffe wears glasses, and a hooked fish says, via voice bubble, "What a day I'm having!" Another scofflaw, a girl wearing a large hair bow, is shown tying a crocodile to a fire hydrant (illegal in Michigan). "What if someone really did tie a crocodile to the fire hydrant in front of your house?" the essay on the next page asks. "Okay, so that probably won't happen, but wise laws like those against stealing, murder, and arson help people live together peacefully." Although first-timer Linz's light-hearted approach may help open up the issue of civic duty, it may also frustrate curious readers as they are left to guess how and when the particular laws here originally made it onto the books. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-This quirky title is filled with hilariously outlandish laws, many dating back to the 1800s and early 1900s. It is impossible to pick the wackiest, since they all qualify as such. In Idaho, "Trout fishing is against the law if you are sitting on a giraffe's back," while in Brooklyn, NY, "Donkeys are not allowed to sleep in bathtubs." Then there's "You must have a doctor's prescription to take a bath" (Boston, MA). Each law is illustrated with an exaggerated cartoon drawing rendered in watercolor, pen, and ink. Every now and then, a page is devoted to answering a question, such as "Why do we have such crazy laws?" or "What is the oldest set of laws ever written?" The last two pages give a brief overview of the government of the United States. This title definitely belongs in libraries everywhere-the quandary lies in the cataloging. To get the attention it deserves, consider placing it in a picture-book-for-older-readers section, rather than in the 340s.
Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NYCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
