Do Donkeys Dance? [Hardcover]

Melanie Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Do pigs buzz around flowers? Have you ever seen a ladybug stand on one tiny leg? Who might you find swimming underwater? Animals move and so do we! Can you hop like a flea -- or even fly? Each silly question appears on a double-page spread along with a bright illustration of the animal in a pose. When young readers turn the page, the surprising answer is revealed.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K-Walsh is at it again-this time focusing on different activities and just who can (and can't) perform them. The basic format remains the same as in Do Pigs Have Stripes? (1996) and Do Monkeys Tweet? (1997, both Houghton). Seemingly straightforward questions are guaranteed to prompt giggles and denials from young listeners. "Do pigs buzz around flowers?/No, bees buzz around flowers." Illustrations are chunky and charming, and set on brightly colored backgrounds. The simple text is repetitive enough that young listeners will catch on to the pattern right away, but varied enough that it does not become tedious. The author answers every question but the last in the negative-but she manages to sneak some surprises in along the way. "Do hippos hop?" is followed not by the expected rabbit but by a tiny flea, and where some readers might expect to find some ducks ("Do chickens swim underwater?"), Walsh offers fish instead. Add to this the charming subtlety of never answering the title question in words but including a visual clue on the title page, and adults will realize that this deceptively simple silliness is well thought out and perfectly executed. Kids won't care about these details, though; they'll be too busy having fun.
Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Walsh has produced another sure-fire toddler treat in this series of questions that will have an audience of one or a dozen shouting out the answers. Following a format cued by the cover image of a tutu-ed donkey, on the opening page where a small girl is wearing that tutu, Walsh asks, Do pigs buzz around flowers? and on the next spread, No, bees buzz around flowers. A query about hippos hopping is followed by a flea, who does hop, and about ladybugs standing on one leg followed by flamingos who do, and so on. The economically worded questions float on pages of deceptively simple illustration: recognizable but pared-down shapes in clear, matte colors. Sometimes the angles and perspectives are changed, as when we see only the bottom third of a hopping kangaroo. The final twist, Can you fly up in the sky?, is answered affirmatively by a clutch of children in an airplane. A fine addition to Do Pigs Have Stripes? and Do Monkeys Tweet? (not reviewed). (Picture book. 3-6)-- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (March 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618003304
• ISBN-13: 978-0618003303
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,282,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sure-fire treat for young ones!, May 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Do Donkeys Dance? (Hardcover)

This is my 5-1/2 month old baby's favorite book! I purchased this book because it was highly recommended by Oppenheim, and I've been really pleased. A huge smile appears on my baby's when we turn to the first page. He "talks" and smiles the whole way through. The images are simple and bold, and have a whimsical appeal that really strikes a chord with us. The book focuses on different animal actions, such as the pages, "Do hippos hop? No, fleas do!" To make it even more fun, we add sound effects, such as what kind of noise a hopping hippo would make, as well as fleas. I think that we're going to need a couple more copies, because this book is such a winner with us, we'll wear multiple copies out!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can be used as a learning tool, May 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Do Donkeys Dance? (Hardcover)

This book has very cute illustrations that will make kidslaugh. The title page begins a series of questions about the actionsof different animals like, "Do pigs buzz around flowers?" After the question, the next page answers the question which is always, "no, this animal does that behavior". I think this book would make a good learing tool. It is good for teaching verbs, opposites and animal names. However, there were some things I didn't like about the book. It asks the question, "Do donkeys dance" on the title page" and the next page is a picture of a girl but the answer to the question is not printed on the page. I think that some other words are too complex for begining readers, like the word flamingo. END

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the Preschool Set!, October 6, 2005

By 

Binksmomma - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do Donkeys Dance? (Paperback)

My 2 year old daughter thinks this book is hilarious! She laughs and giggles at every turn of the page We've read it so much that she's got it memorized - I catch her sitting on the floor "reading" it to herself. When I read it to her she loves to answer each and every question with a resounding NO and follows it up with the correct answer.

This would be a good book in a group setting - I can just see a whole crowd of toddlers yelling No and cracking up!