I don't like all the rhyming books- try reading them four times in a row and watch as your eyes cross. It's as though they are all using the same vocabulary book and just changing the sentences. Ima Bratt has reinvented the rhyming book with descriptive prose that is a roller coaster ride of the unexpected. I adored this book- but I will caution- it's not for everybody. I don't think I would read it to my own grandkids until they are quite older and can understand that the "Tales" are lessons and not meant to scare them. They are 'Unpleasant Tales" of children that do not follow rules and come to dire endings. Each story is a portrait of a child that thoughtfully and humorously drawn to give warnings of the consequence of what can happen when you eat too much candy, don't follow rules, have tantrums. It's not preachy, but almost has a Mad magazine quality to each Tale. Reading it brought back memories of the rather unpleasant children from Will Wonka- (the first one and one of my favorite movies as a child) My grandmother often read the original Grimms Fairy Tales to me, and I still have them ready to read to my own grandchildren. However, I don't know if their parents will allow them yet. They are scary! This book is scary! But I do wonder in our world where children are so quick to break laws- maybe they need to be scared. Read the book alone and you decide if it's appropriate. I gave five stars not because I think the book is necessarily right for young children- but because I think Ima Bratt is a genius.
Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman
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