A Chocolate Moose for Dinner - Fred Gwynne
Fun read puts silly language in the spotlight.
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- Author:Fred Gwynne
- # of pages: 48
- Publisher:Simon and Schuster BFYR
- Original Publication Date: 01/01/2000
- Genre: Non-Fiction - Words
- Paperback: $6.99
- Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: Ages 4-8
- Read Aloud: 4+
- Read Alone: 6-8
Parents need to know
Families can talk about the meaning and origins of silly-sounding words and phrases like "chocolate mousse" (which, of course, sounds just like "chocolate moose") and "guerrilla war" (which sounds like "gorilla war"). Parents can also explain that these words and phrases are called homonyms and idioms, and can talk about the differences between the two concepts. Are there any homonyms you can think of that aren't mentioned in the book? What about idioms?
Message
Social Behavior:
Consumerism:
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:
Violence
Sex
Language
Common Sense says
What's the story?
Reviewed by Amy Brotman
Is it any good?
This is one of the more successful of Gwynne's books on homonyms and idioms because the selections are not so obvious. Phrases such as guerrilla war and chocolate mousse are good for the target audience, in that they lead to short discussions about how these words got from here to there.
The collection also serves to illustrate the silliness of some words. Shoe tree, for example, is a silly concoction, and so is the expression on the lam, which deserves to be pictured as a gent riding the back of a baby sheep. And though the one is self-evident, the other will have you scurrying to the dictionary to check up on word origins.
The only stumbler is, "Mom says her favorite painter is Dolly." Depending on which part of the country you are from, that one may take some time to decipher. Then try explaining surrealism to a four-year-old. "But why does the clock melt?" one wanted to know. Your serve.
Gwynne also produced The King Who Rained and A Little Pigeon Toad. You might also want to read Charles Ghigna's See the Yak Yak.
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