What’s Going On Here?: A Tell-Your-Own-Tale Book

PreS-Gr 2–A fuzzy blue creature, in red overalls and with underpants on its head, starts readers off with a secret handshake. Thus begins this mix-and-match interactive book/game, in which each portrait-oriented page is die-cut into thirds. These cuts separate the text as well as the bodies of the characters so that they may be turned separately. There is no story line, just a series of statements and questions, like “What makes a bad day better?,” “At birthday parties,” and “Milton practices the trumpet.” These various phrases, when blended together after flipping pages randomly, form statements that can be quite silly. However, the goofy cartoon kids and animals, in various costumes, are the main draw. Each image, rendered in acrylics and pencil, depicts the front side of the character and the backside on the flip side of the page.