The Wonder Book

Module 9- The Wonder Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Rosenthal, A. K. (2010). The wonder book. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

80 Pages
Ages 4-8

Plot:

This book provides a fun, silly and clever look at ordinary aspects of daily life, looked out at in a new and interesting way. The book includes fun lists, for example, of things you can and can't run with, includes interactive selections which ask the reader to create their own verse, and a look at some creative palindromes ("Was it Eliot's toilet I saw?").

My Impressions:

I found this book to be a witty and clever look at ordinary life events. I enjoyed the way it really explored not only the wonder of these events, but the English language in general. The plays on words, puns, and silly palindromes all explored the power words can have. The illustrations by Paul Schmid have the same fun and silly feel and really enhance the text. I think my favorite selection would be "Fruitful Love," which played on the words of fruits to tell a cute story: "Honeydew you love me?", "You know I do", "Then let's run off and get married", "Oh, darling, we've talked about this. We cantaloupe!" I think children will really like the variety of this book, as it offers not only various formats and subjects, but also selection lengths. There are no two selections alike.


Reviews:

From The Horn Book Guide

"K-3 Illustrated by Paul Schmid. Two things are certain about this uneven assemblage of silly and sometimes subversive poems, palindromes, puns, lists, and random observations. One, kids will like it. Two, ditties like "Tinkle / Tinkle / In the sea / Don't look under / While I pee ..." will draw comparisons to Shel Silverstein's work. Expressive black line drawings are a perfect, punchy counterpart to Rosenthal's verbal humor and horseplay."

Carolyn L., S. e. (n.d). Rosenthal, Amy Krouse: The Wonder Book. The Horn Book Guide, 21(2), 435.

From School Library Journal

"K-Gr 3--Here is a joyous, totally original potpourri of stories, poems, lists, palindromes, visual jokes, and random observations about the universal delights and conundrums of childhood. Set squarely in the world of the 21st-century child, with references to tae kwon do, 50 TV channels, and chocolate-chip pancakes, these varied musings nonetheless speak to everyone's inner child, young or old, mentioning table manners, dinosaurs, bratty children, whining, the tooth fairy, and moms and dads who can't relate. Simple, evocative, and childlike black-and-white line drawings, in concert with judicious and varied use of white space, perfectly capture the happy/sad/serious/silly moods of the selections. A book that can be opened on any page, it includes a handy, tongue-in-cheek index of key words and images to guide readers to subjects of interest. Make room on the poetry shelf between Prelutsky and Silverstein: fans of such well-loved titles as The New Kid on the Block (1984) and A Light in the Attic (1981,both HarperCollins) will flock to this winning volume of sheer fun."

Finn, K. (2010). The Wonder Book. School Library Journal, 56(3), 143. 

Library Suggestions:

This book would be a good to do as an interactive read-aloud book to introduce children to verse and poetry. It shows the wide range of verse options within the genre and how fun the subject can be.