Common Sense Note
Listeners will call out rhymes and chortle over witty details in the illustrations. Fun made-up creatures will entertain.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Robyn Raymer
This simple, funny book appeals to everyone. One three-year-old ran around the house checking to see whether there was a tiny, striped ZLOCK hiding behind his clock or a kinky-haired ZAMP hanging down beneath his lampshade. After each fruitless search, he cheerfully returned to the book for the next assignment.
Kindergartners called out each rhyme and giggled at the rude YOTTLE in the BOTTLE. After reading, they wrote and illustrated their own version, which included "a snake in my cake" and "glue in my shoe."
First-graders had a terrific time choosing their favorite creatures and reading the captions aloud. The pictures and rhymes helped them with difficult vocabulary words, such as chimney and cupboards. They were especially tickled by the tall, doggy-eared ZOWER luxuriating in the hot shower, and the gregarious TELLAR, NELLAR, and GELLAR, who hang out in the cellar playing cards and ticktacktoe, lackadaisically juggling their own eggs, and combing each other's tail feathers.
This book has some of the prettiest color combinations of any Seuss book. One illustration combines pale yellow, blue-purple, and turquoise; another, magenta and orange accented with green. The cartoon drawings are simple yet expressive, and each creature has a personality that fits with the household item it inhabits: Since chimneys are mysterious, even dangerous places, the boy dislikes the (unseen) QUIMNEY, while the ZILLOW nestling on his pillow is cuddly and sleepy-looking.
Seuss fans will adore Green Eggs and Ham. Other witty series for beginners include Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad books and the Little Bear series.
Plot Summary:
A boy lives in a house where it's commonplace to find a ZOWER enjoying a nice hot shower or a ZELF napping on a pantry shelf. With some exceptions (such as the NOOTH GRUSH on his toothbrush), the boy likes his housemates. This is a terrific read-aloud or primer, illustrated in glowing orange, yellow, magenta, and purple.
Rate It!
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ViolenceSmall children who fear monsters under beds and in closets may be scared of the unseen creatures. However, the book's light-hearted tone may actually help them cope with these fears. |
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