The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies

PreS—A man lives with his 12 babies in a tiny apartment. All of the girls are named Charlene, and the boys, Alistair. One day the babies are fighting with one another so he scoops up all the Charlenes and carries them outside, only to have the door close and lock behind him, leaving the Alistairs inside alone. The man tries to go in through the cat flap and gets stuck. He finally gets the toddlers to work together and pull him through the door, and they are all happy once again. The story is a bit strange, but children will probably take these oddities as pure silliness. The text is simple, which makes this book a great length for a preschool read-aloud. The illustrations are bright and colorful, and the man's checkered pants, polka-dot shoes, and rainbow-colored curly hair add to the whimsy. The book should appeal to preschoolers' sense of humor.—Lora Van Marel, Orland Park Public Library, IL