WHY A DISGUISE? [Paperback]

Laura Numeroff Joffe (Author), David McPhail (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Why a disguise?

There are times in life when it's useful for a kid to assume a new identity -- especially when it's your turn at the dentist's office, or Mom is serving lima beans, or the class bully is waiting for you after school.

Best-selling author Laura Numeroff shows us the many ways there are to enjoy being someone different, and reminds us that it's nice to know we're still ourselves at the end of the day.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A boy demonstrates the usefulness of a dime-store disguise. "The lighthearted watercolor art, flooded with droll visual tidbits, will get the laughs here," said PW. Ages 4-6. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2?This story starts on the title page, when a young boy acquires a discarded mask (glasses, nose, and an attached beard). Next, he faces some of life's least-favorite challenges (meeting a bully, eating lima beans, being pinched on the cheek), and seems to successfully avoid them with the help of the disguise. Numeroff has again found the level of humor that so delights youngsters. They will laugh out-loud at the tricks brought to life in McPhail's playful ink-and-watercolor drawings. A good choice for story times and for sparking discussion of other handy uses of disguises.?Kathy East, Wood County District Public Library, OH
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689825307
• ISBN-13: 978-0689825309
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,640,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who is That Masked Boy?, March 11, 2005

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: WHY A DISGUISE? (Paperback)

Famed author Laura Numeroff ("If You Give A Mouse a Cookie") and illustrator David McPhail ("Pigs Ahoy") team in this clever story about going incognito. Our young hero dons an outrageous facemask whenever he's in a risky situation. His disguise is in the "cheapo cheapo" tradition of the "Groucho" mask, but with a large reddish moustache and beard, a gigantic red nose, and ultra cool black-rimmed, green tinted glasses. The unnamed low-tech spy (yet another trick in his spy plan?) goes undercover when faced with such precarious situations as a visit to the dentist's office, a dinner with lima beans, bath time ("You might want to add a different hat"), and when relatives come ("Then they won't pinch your cheek and say "My, how you've grown.").

The text and watercolor pictures share a sly, droll humor. The disguise is certain to fool no one, but its fun to watch the young boy try: He puts on the mask while playing hide-and-seek, and leans against a tree, assuring us "you won't have to bother looking for a place to hide." Two feet away another boy looks at him with a puzzled expression. He gets into only one potentially dangerous situation when a "bully" stands in front of his school bus, but the bus driver looks on and makes sure he passes untouched (just in case the disguise isn't enough).

Throughout most of the book, Numeroff and McPhail keep an adult nearby, and the warm big-faced portraits convey protection and love. The boy has a lot of fun fooling his friends and relatives, but his blatant flouting of social convention is transparent and safe. A little rebellion can be good for you, but even little James Bond admits (while being tucked in for the night), "...at the end of the day it's nice to know that you're still you." This is a very fun and inviting book that almost any young sleuth will want to have close at hand.