Total Pageviews

Sunday, June 10, 2018

A Busy Creature's Day Eating, written and illustrated by Mo Willems. Disney Hyperion, Hachette. 2018. $18.99 ages 3 and up


"Furniture!

Gravy!

Huge Hot-Sauce
Halibut Hoagie!"

You will not recognize this character from any of the Mo Willems books you already have on your bookshelf. You will surely pinpoint its zany personality as just another of the madcap figures created to captivate and charm young readers. With its zest for eating, its brash demeanor, and its colorful look, it takes those readers on a harried journey through the alphabet.

Bounding out of bed and heading straight to the kitchen, Busy begins its 'alphabetical smorgasbord' with an apple - well, a bowlful of apples, then berries, donuts, and eggs. F poses a problem until it gloms on to the furniture in the room. From there, nothing is safe. The romp halts for a moment at O! That is when the full impact of all that has been consumed makes the creature realize just what it has done. The stomach revolts.

For the rest of the book's pages, attempts are made, with the help of a friend (or parent), to neutralize the effects of its enthusiastic endeavor to consume an alphabetic buffet. No one will be surprised at the end result of such gluttony.

Kids will enjoy making guesses at what this busy creature will choose for the next part of its meal. Each spread is sure to capture attention and invite conversation. In the end, they will also be impressed with the love and tenderness shared by the present adult, and the lack of judgment displayed. Only warm hugs, and understanding for the way Creature is feeling after such an unusual feast. 

Just when you think you have seen every type of alphabet book imaginable, along comes Mo Willems. As he so often has done, he ups the ante and the humor factor once again. Lively and most enjoyable!                                                                             

No comments:

Post a Comment