Eats, Shoots & Leaves - and - Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Another day, another two books reviewed on the children's blog at work. I've been whittling down my shelf of books to read and/or review before spending a lot of time on the web page redo. Between time sheets, updates, hours updates, and meetings, pretty much all I did accomplish today were the book reviews and a quick addition to my personal library page. The two today not only interesting, but just plain fun. The first, Eats, Shoots & Leaves may have somewhat limited use, but it is so cleverly done the book itself is amusing and worth reading regardless of the language arts lesson applied. Additionally, I am a bit of a comma queen (in case no one has noticed) and it would behoove me to take a few of these lessons to heart!

“Commas can create havoc when they are left out or are put in the wrong spot, and the results of misuse can be hilarious.” This smart picture book takes a unique look at commas and the important function they provide in English language sentence structure. Each set of pages displays the same sentence with and without commas, or with commas placed in strategically different positions. Cartoon illustrations accompany the text, providing witty representations of both sentences and aptly displaying the different meanings resulting from comma placement. In one set of pages sure to get a laugh, you see people outside of a gas station filling up their cars, “Eat here, and get gas.” The corresponding page depicts a restaurant serving beans, “Eat here and get gas.” Truss provides an introduction to the text, as well as explanations at the end regarding all the sentence structures used.

The second book today, Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road, is just brilliant. Each of the fourteen artists have answered the question in their own way. I spent several days pouring over the different pages and still haven't found my favorite. Since I'm a David Catrow fan, obviously his is at the top of the list. However, the lush beauty of Mary Grandpre's chicken crossing the road and the sweet picnic from Jerry Pinkney, just add to the well rounded collection. Each illustrator has a style of their own and that, combined with their wit, makes this a great book for anyone who loves children's literature to read and enjoy.

Fourteen children’s book artists answer the age old question, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” and embellish greatly concerning what is on the other side. Each artist has a double page spread, illustrating his or her artistic interpretation on the query with spectacular results. Though not a wordless picture book, text is sparse and well placed. From John Agee’s chicken and possum to Chris Sheban’s baseball game gone awry, from the chicken eating in David Catrow’s “Diner Across the Road” to Christopher Raschka’s chicken questioning the sphinx, each illustration is unique to the artist, rich, colorful, and humorous. The book ends with a “Scoop from the Coop” where a question of a different kind is asked of each artist: “Why did the artist cross the road?” Students would enjoy using their own artistic talents to answer the same question.

Tags: Why Did The Chicken Cross the Road?, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss, Bonnie Timmons,Children's literature, Juvenile book reviews