From Publishers Weekly
In this clever companion picture book to their hilarious etiquette guide, It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel, the Buehners use wit and very punny humor to tackle the issue of ethics for children. The multiple-choice format here translates into more of a spirited guessing game than a classroom-style quiz. On each spread one or more animal characters faces an ethical dilemma (should Ima Scalebody the fish cheat on her test? Should Howie Hogg clean up the toys he took out?). Readers are encouraged to assess the situation and choose a suitable (and usually obvious) answer from three selections. As one of the many visual bonuses in this volume, the letter of the correct response is hidden somewhere in Mark Buehner's illustration. The artist's passion for visual surprise doesn't end there: he has also concealed bumblebees, cats, rabbits and dinosaurs, among other things, in each of his lush and expressive oil-and-acrylic paintings. From a school of fish in an underwater classroom to rats in a cafeteria, the artist tweaks familiar settings by populating them with his own gently anthropomorphic animal kingdom. Caralyn Buehner's snappy, alliterative text makes for an exuberant read-aloud, perfect for sharing between parent and child. Grown-ups will guffaw over such aptly named critters as the flies Buzzer and Annoya McFly, and rats Diseasa and Fungusto. But best of all, this book brims with the sort of solid values every child should learn: never lie, follow the rules, obey your parents and think of others. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3AFollowing the format of their popular picture book about manners, It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel (Dial, 1995), the Buehners now take on behavioral issues. On each double-page spread, readers are given three choices, two of them obviously wrong and quite amusing, and must pick the proper behavior for the animal in question. Situations include promising to do something until a more attractive offer comes along; considering a lie to avoid punishment; wanting to cheat on a test; and being tempted to destroy or litter property. The language is filled with tongue-tripping alliteration and wit: "Run over Rudy's red rubber radio repeatedly." The large, bright illustrations, executed in oils and acrylics, sustain the text's humor. A group of fish are, literally, in school; a bat reads Wait Until Dark; Santa and his reindeer fly across the Arctic sky; and a fish has a packet of Gummy Worms. Children can search the illustrations for the letters of the correct answers and check their responses in the answer key. Many animals are also hidden in each picture. This title will provide ample material for class discussions on moral conduct while at the same time inviting individual readers to pore over the illustrations to discover the many visual jokes.AMarianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
