Customer Reviews

The Runaway Dinner

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The people in my family are great fans of the "spoken" narrative style of Richard Scarry. This book is just as fun to read outloud (very important from a parent's perspective) and the illustrations are charming and clever. I like a children's book with a sense of humor. My girls, age 2 and 4, are tickled with this one too. A word of caution: 2 of the 3 peas in the story are consumed by fowl, so perhaps children who are a very concerned about death would not be an appropriate audience.

This book is wonderful. It is a book that needs to be read out loud to children with much dramatics and suspense. It isn't a book you could simply buy and hand off to the six year old but read it to them and they are hooked.

My three year old liked it too although my six year old adores it (and now reads it herself). Definitely not for the under 3 set. I actually enjoy reading it to them.

Some children's books are so predictable. Open up your child's perspective and experience with something a little different.

We love this book.

Our nearly 3 year old son, just loves this book. The author makes each character simply come to life on every page. The illustrations are colourful and fun. The narrative is a little different, but keeps our son thoroughly engaged right 'til the end!

I've always like the story of "The Gingerbread Man" though I've always been upset by how snobbish the Gingerbread Man is and was glad that in the end he got eaten by the fox. Allan Ahlberg has updated the story of the Gingerbread Man in his story THE RUNAWAY DINNER. In THE RUNAWAY DINNER the piece of food that comes to life and runs away isn't a freshly baked cookie, but is instead a freshly cooked sausage. But it's not just the sausage that comes to life. Besides the sausage an entire dinner jumps up and runs away, including baby carrots, three peas, and several French fries, as well as the boy's plate, utensils, condiments, table, and chair. They run out of the house and into the street and are chased by a dog, a cat, the boy, and the boy's parents. Along the way different things happen to the different characters, for instance a little old lady sits on the chair, the baby carrots escape by hiding under a paper bag, the dog chases the cat up a tree, and several items are eaten!

THE RUNAWAY DINNER is written in a real-aloud style and makes a great book to read to young children. Bruce Ingman's illustrations are delightful and add more fun to the story (there's one scene where the reader is asked to stop and look around for a missing pea).

THE RUNAWAY DINNER is aimed at young readers who are either reluctant or struggling. The story is sure to catch their imagination, but it's so entertaining that even adults might find themselves becoming enraptured by the story. I know I did! Recommended reading for children from 2 years-1st grade, but fun reading for people of all ages.

This is a great book -- very cute and funny. My kids, ages 5&7, love it. The way it's written is very engaging and my kids love to hear the story over and over. This is one of our very favorite books and I've been buying it as a birthday gift for my kids' friends, too.

I got this book after a link took me to it via Amazon. It looked fun...and it is. My kids (5 & 6) love this story. It is so clever! There are a lot of opportunities for kids to find things in the illustrations, remembering the names of all the peas is a riot. I will say that this story is best read aloud and with lots of dramatization (makes it more fun). After the second reading we were all hooked and giggling with each read.

I work at a preschool that also has a pre-k class. The kids LOVED this book! I also really enjoyed it, I had ordered this copy for myself, but I think that we're going to need one at school too. It is fun, funny, and charming. The children in both classes are still talking about it days later. In general I'm not a fan of newer children's books, I would prefer to read The Runaway Bunny, but this book is destined to be a classic. The illistrations are colorful and engaging, and the story is told in a way that children can easily understand because it is how many of them speak and think (it is a little hard to get into the rythm at first). Even the kids who don't really enjoy books loved this one! It is a must have.

My daughter is 4 - we are both Germans. My English is ... ok, her English only a few words.

But we read this story again and again and again. And it is marvelous, unbelievable, astonishing, just ... great.

And if you put the right ... dramatic into your voice, while reading it to your chid - you will love it, your kids will love it.

And if ever .. your house burns down to the ground: You will safe this book!

Buy it. Just buy it!

This quite long book is not for small children. The words are so complicated for example the phrase " wore all the usual sorts of clothes " a 4 year old is not able to follow along. Basically it is just a picture book that I am forced to read. Other ex of words are , imparticular, presently, confusion, and the sentences follow the strange words . This is not a fun book to read .

I stumbled upon this at the library and after reading it, we had to have it for ourselves. My two year old LOVES it and I love the grammar that they get to hear, largely for the first time. A fun and engaging read. Love love love Runaway Dinner!