| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that the rambling text may put off younger readers. This book is more successful as a read-alone, so kids can spend more time pondering the information-rich illustrations and silly story.
Hamburgers fall from the sky, as do scrambled eggs (with a side of toast) and cherry pie--plus, you guessed it, meatballs. When the weather turns nasty, down rains a deluge of stinky gorgonzola, overcooked broccoli, and thick tomato sauce. The lengthy text is often a problem for young listeners, but the humorous story and detailed illustrations may hold their interest.
This story is a gratifying, if lightweight, dish of foolishness. Its aim is for laughs -- and it gets them, through sight gags for both kids and adults, humor presented in the deadpan tones of an old-style weather forecast ("Dinner one night consisted of lamb chops, becoming heavy at times, with occasional ketchup"), and the sheer preposterousness of events. Don't look for hidden depths here; the story lives on the surface, and as slapstick it works just fine.
The text rambles at times: Almost half of a class of 6-year-olds was looking out the window as a read-aloud neared its finish, and the librarian was delivering a bright reading at that. "Too long," groaned one child. The illustrations look like something found in a turn-of-the-century magazine, with their hectic line work and wealth of details. It has a bit of science fiction too: Those giant T-bones could easily have come from a spaceship.
Families can talk about weird weather. What's the strangest weather you've ever experienced?
If weather really was food, what foods would you want to have appear?
| Author: | Judi Barrett |
| Illustrator: | Ron Barrett |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Humor |
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1978 |
| Number of pages: | 32 |
| Paperback price: | $6.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
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