 | 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. |
The Runaway Dinner
- By Allan Ahlberg
- Genre: Picture Book
Common Sense Media says
Kids will eat up this zany food chase.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that food is personified, named, and then eaten in this story. If kids have no issue with that, they'll find plenty to laugh at in the pandemonium that ensues as a result of the food chase.
What's the story?
An ordinary little kid named Banjo Cannon has a problem with his dinner: the everyday sausage, peas, carrots, and fries come to life, run away with the dishes in pursuit, and lead him on a merry chase through the English streets. Various unexpected adventures ensue until Banjo's parents carry him home to a large helping of plum pudding. And the adventure takes off again.
Is it any good?
THE RUNAWAY DINNER is a cross between the story of the wily Gingerbread Man and "Hey, diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle" -- especially "the dish ran away with the spoon" part. All this silliness, to its great benefit, is cleverly written and illustrated. Kids will get a kick out of Melvin, the sausage, as he streaks across town with his culinary entourage. Allan Ahlberg has created a friendly, tongue-in-cheek tone that will make kids want to join in on the fun.
The story moves along briskly while the narrator interjects casual comments and questions about how true the story is, what has happened to this character or that, and how mysterious or fun it's all becoming. The flat acrylic paintings coupled with uncolored, ink-lined drawings are inviting and entertaining. Illustrated by Bruce Ingman, each page looks like a kid's painting and offers plenty to look at, search for, and count.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how surprised they would be if their food jumped off their plate and ran away. Could that really happen? What would you do if it did? Do you believe the narrator when he says that this story is the "absolute truth, the complete picture"? Kids also might like to talk about the names of the characters, and come up with new ones they might choose. For starters, Banjo is an unusual name for a little boy.
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AGE
Buy all THREE!
My third graders LOVE this book-along with The Pencil and Previously. We write our own sequals to these books. They always ask me to read it again and again. They LOVE the idea of ordinary objects coming to life and doing things that they do everyday. I recommend this book-but you'll miss out if you don't get The Pencil and Previously at the same time!!!!
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| Author: | Allan Ahlberg |
| Illustrator: | Bruce Ingman |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Picture Book |
| Publisher: | Candlewick Press |
| Publication date: | August 6, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 40 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
| Read aloud: | 4 |
| Read alone: | 6 |
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