This Is a Serious Book

PreS-K—This is a serious book…well, it would be if not for the delightfully funny antics of one donkey and his friends. They are loud, they make silly faces, they have a parade—basically, they break every rule as outlined on the front flap (this includes "behave," "no laughing," and "study"). From the second page onward, the narrator quickly loses control of the story as more silly animals fill the page. In this way, color also takes up more of the white space (which irks the beleaguered narrator). Rieley wisely uses the presentation of the book to show the opposing viewpoints; the text is in a plain black font—in other words, rather serious-looking—while the illustrations are a boldly colorful mixed-media type (both the jacket and the hidden cover underneath are good indicators of what to expect). Altogether, this is a great read-aloud that a storyteller can really play up; the statements are short, the narration builds up, and there is lots to laugh at. Children will love the contradiction between the images and text and will like that the animals clearly choose to ignore the rules. Getting them to mimic the deeds of this donkey and his friends will only increase the fun for active little ones.