Geography (Bright Ideas)

A Little Pigeon Toad (1988), written and illustrated by Fred Gwynne, uses homophones to create amusing pictures. Themes: Homophones; Humor Ways to use this book with children: *This would be a great introduction to a discussion of homophones. *Have students come up with silly pictures to illustrate some other homophones. Additional Info: Yes, this is the Fred Gwynne who played Herman Munster.

Grade 4-8 Using homonyms and figures of speech, Gwynne has created a rib-tickling collection of word-and-picture jokes sure to delight readers. Similar in tone and spirit to his A Chocolate Moose for Dinner (Prentice-Hall, 1987), this one cleverly combines lively and humorous full-page color illustrations with carefully chosen words that have double meanings. The young girl seen throughout this light-hearted volume lends continuity and helps to tie the text together. As narrator, she shares with readers her misconceptions about things that adults have told her. For example, the sentence, ``My teacher says I get along well with my piers'' is accompanied by an illustration of the child sitting on the edge of a boat dock. A couple of the witty offerings are a bit more subtle, however, and may require a bit of explanation for less sophisticated readers. The humor in the little girl sewing college pennants to illustrate ``In Sunday School they say when you are bad you should do pennants'' may be lost on children unfamiliar with the ecclesiastical term. However, the selections of less-than-obvious humor are in the minority and should not deter librarians who wish to add a fresh, sparkling title to their English language collections. Bonnie Wheatley, Emma Conn Elementary Sch . , Raleigh, N.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.