The Runaway Dinner (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Bruce Ingman (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–When Banjo Cannon sits down to dinner, his sausage (named Melvin) jumps off the plate and runs away. The kitchen furniture, cutlery, peas, French fries, carrots, the famished boy, and his parents follow out the door in Gingerbread Man fashion. The chase continues down the street and through a park where a duck eats Paul the pea, two fries sail away in a toy boat, and a picnicking family grabs the fork and knife. Just when Banjo catches up with Melvin, his mom yells, Don't eat that, it's been on the ground! The surreal adventures are relayed in a droll, conversational style with casual asides (Now here's the exciting part, the unbelievable part–though it is all true). Ingman's acrylic illustrations, done in muted tones, combine detailed panoramic scenes and fully fleshed-out characters with pen-and-ink outline sketches. The naive drawings of the stick-legged sausage and his fellow runaways will elicit giggles. This fast-paced yarn is full of kooky charm.–Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
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Review

"Funny, touching, ridiculous and dramatic - a treat from start to finish." The Guardian" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (August 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763631426
• ISBN-13: 978-0763631420
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #426,948 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky and great fun to read, November 30, 2006

By	whistling mama (Indiana) - See all my reviews

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Melvin is a hit!, June 7, 2007

By	Kiwi Mama - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and lively., March 29, 2009

By	Rebecca (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Runaway Dinner (Paperback)

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.