Do us a favor. Shake the book,
then turn the page.
Wait. What? Why would
you want the kid to do that?
To get us right-side up. I've
see it work before. Shake
the book, and when you turn
the page, everything's back in
the right place."
I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I guess I was thinking it might be a lot like some of the other interactive books I have shared with kids. It is not. The characters, Abner and Ian, have a lot of personality. Their conversation explores and expands on those personalities. Readers will have an affinity for their voices, their requests, their appreciation for any help given and their ability and determination to find a solution to their difficulty. After all, being stuck on the sides of the page rather than on the bottom where one would expect them to be is a real dilemma.
"Please stop describing how you
feel about this. Do you know how
long we've been perpendicular?
My ankles are beginning to hurt.
Now can we start?
Sure. But first do you think we
should ask if the kid
is ready?"
The first attempt at having the kid right themselves is a disaster. Now, they are upside down. Heights might be a problem. Next try ... no better. Maybe the kid is the problem. The next time isn't much better at all. Willing to try again, they ask for help one more time. Nope, nope, nope and nope!
"Wait for things to settle. We keep
telling the kid to shake and turn,
and nothing's getting better.
The harder the kid shakes, the
weirder things become. What if we
just waited a second. Or even ten
seconds? We can't fight madness
with madness and hope to find sanity."
What an absolute delight! I will sharing this one in fall workshops.
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