Knock, Knock

Fourteen well known children's illustrators collaborated to present their personal answer to the classic joke, "Knock, Knock ... Who's there?" The result is Knock, Knock, a hilarious picture book guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Each artist is given a knock knock set up and page turning answer, perfect for reading aloud in the classroom or for story time. Beautifully illustrated, jokes contain not only the artist's personal humor, but their individual style and art medium. All the classics are here, presented with a fresh style; from Dan Yaccarino's peek-a-boo alien, to Henry Cole's Esther Bunny; from Chris Raschka's classic Vild Things to David Small's sweet proactive toddler, the jokes are definitely on us.

Taken straight from the technical services cart this morning, I was thrilled to see this book living up to it's predecessor, "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road." I particularly enjoyed Peter H. Reynolds: "Knock Knock! Who's there? Lionel. Lionel who? Lion-el eat me if you don't open up that door!" The hungry lion licking his chops and the frantic young boy trying to get in the door are priceless. My particular favorite was David Small's precocious blond toddler and her subsequent reaction to, "Knock! Knock! Who's There? Ivan. Ivan Who? I van to drink your blood!" Blondie jumps out of bed, stomps on the bat, kicks him out to the cold, dark, evening, and settles down for a peaceful night's sleep. As with Chickens, Knock Knock ends with self portraits by each illustrator who then answers the question, "Who do these artists want knocking at their doors?"

Bravo to Sophie Blackall who answers, "Anyone bearing cake."

Tags: Knock, Knock, Children's literature, Juvenile fiction, Knock knock jokes