For this lovely Perfect Picture Book Friday before Easter, I have chosen a book...
... that has nothing whatsoever to do with Easter at all.
Not in any way.
Even I, a master of twisting things around to suit my theme of the day, cannot really see how to make a book about cheese connect to Easter. But it's still a good book! :)
Written By: Nancy Gurney
Illustrated By: Eric Gurney
Random House 1965 (also HarperCollins 1986)
Suitable For Ages: 3-8, great for beginning readers
Themes/Topics: tolerance, getting along, problem-solving
Opening: "Once upon a time, in a faraway country, there lived a king. He lived in a beautiful palace. He had everything he liked. He liked cheese best of all."
Brief Synopsis: The cheese-loving king has the best cheese makers in all the land. The cheese they make smells so good that it brings in mice from the country. The king doesn't like sharing his palace with mice, so he calls on his wise men to come up with a solution. But the solution doesn't work out quite the way they had in mind! :)
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| how cute is this mouse? :) |
Links To Resources: Fun Facts About Cheese (with some other links), Kids Facts About Dairy Products, History of Cheese, Cheese Making
Why I Like This Book: Any book that includes the sentence,"'Listen, boys, let's make a deal," said the king.'" already has a point in its favor :) I love the way the king and the wise men, in an effort to solve the palace's mouse problem, make it far, far worse. It's the kind of cause-and-effect snowball situation that is full of hilarity and that kids love. The wise men call in cats to chase away the mice, and then dogs to chase away the cats, and I won't tell you the rest because that would spoil the fun :) But the message of the book is one I really like - that it's important to learn to get along with one another. And ultimately, the book tells a circular story... so I'll leave you to try to figure out how :)
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
Now that I've shared my book, I think we should have some fun. I believe it's time for our annual What's Your Favorite Color Of Jellybean Poll :)
Ready? Go!
I will admit that I love red and black equally and could really not decide!
Have a great weekend, everyone, and Happy Easter! :) PPBF bloggers, please put your post-specific links below so we can all come visit! :)
I love cheese and so therefore loved your choice of book review. My choice for this Friday has nothing to do with Easter either...lol. I have unashamedly voted black, I just love black jelly beans and blue ones too, but I see you didn't have them on the list.... tut,tut... :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a really fun book. Thanks for telling me about it.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Rosi :) It's an oldie but a goodie :)
ReplyDeleteI know it! And it looks so easy when other people do it well, and then it's surprisingly hard to do! Enjoy your spring weather, Vivian, and happy Easter :)
ReplyDeleteThis book certainly has stood the test of time. I vaguely remember reading it to my daughter and how entertaining it was. I love cheese too (more than chocolate) so this is very appealing to me. Will have to check it out to see how it ends. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteThere was something about this book that my kids loved. We read it many many many many times :) I could tell you how it ends... but that would spoil it for everyone else :) Happy Easter, Pat :)
ReplyDeleteI've never seen this book before! It sounds like a really cute one. I'll have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteYou would LOVE it Rhythm! It's full of animals - even dogs! - and there's lots of chasing :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you reviewed this book! It was one of my favorites when I was a child. I loved it so much that I reviewed it on my blog here: http://sunlitpages.blogspot.com/2012/07/kidpages-three-childhood-favorites.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for reviewing some old titles along with newer ones! There are so many great books out there!
Oh, I'm so glad there's another fan of this book! We have loved it in our house. And sometimes I think people prefer to hear about the new books, so I'm glad there's still appreciation for the old ones too :) I'll come over and read your review :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like just the kind of book that my five and seven year old boys will love. Thanks for sharing. Also... GO pink jelly beans!
ReplyDeleteI bet your boys would love it, Hannah. It was certainly a hit with my kids :) And no - don't go pink! Go red :)
ReplyDelete