Title: This is a Ball
Author/Illustrator: Beck & Matt Stanton
Age Group: 3-6
Synopsis: A silly sort of mixed-up story that will have kids laughing.
The Lowdown:
We love to laugh. I don’t know who doesn’t. Maybe Scrooge or Oscar the Grouch. They wouldn’t like this book but we do. This is a Ball embraces how much children love to correct adults and turns it into a highly amusing story. The illustrations are extremely basic, allowing the focus to be mainly on the plot and to keep the somewhat confusing line of mix-ups straight.
The story relies heavily on declarations of untrue facts that it maintains throughout the book. Even the title of the book references a block as a ball. It continues on in this fashion saying that an elephant is a dog, a princess is a monster, a kite is a balloon, etc. But it also adds in statements that are so wide ranging that they sound like the falsehood could maybe be believable. For instance the after the narrator insists that the elephant is a dog he points out that the animal has a tail, just like a dog. It’s statements like this that really rile up young readers. Bug spent a good deal of the story laughing and trying to correct me. But it also allows for an opportunity for little ones to try their own hand at story telling as they correct you. This can be a difficult to keep straight though as the sentences for each page become more and more complicated. The second-to-last page has a multi-layered story that includes six false statements.
With constant contradictions and opportunities for corrections this is an extremely interactive book that involves all parties, while boosting little one’s self esteem. The end effect is similar to The Book With No Pictures. It leaves kids laughing, enthusiastic to read, and full of self-confidence. And it adds a delightful measure of silliness to story time. Something we definitely can appreciate.
Story Tips:
- Encourage your little one to correct you early on and then slowly allow them to take initiative themselves.
I need more!
Beck and Matt Staton have another similar book called Did you take the B from my ook?, This Book is Red and a new addition to this series called Wait! that was released in March 2018. For more information check out the ever knowledgeable Google, Amazon, or http://www.mattstanton.net/
Add to my library: Books That Drive Kids CRAZY!: This Is a Ball
