friday book review: parts

parts

by tedd arnold

suggested reading level: ages 4-8

A youngster is having a hard time;

he seems to be falling apart.

after losing a few hairs, he thinks he is going bald;

his belly button lint is his stuffing coming out.

he even has a chunk of something gray & wet fall right out of his nose.

thank goodness mom & dad intervene before he falls to pieces.

the gross factor is a key ingredient in this book,

along with the comical illustrations.

we received this book as a gift for sam when will was born.

it has been a favorite of the whole family for at least the last year.

i don't agree with the suggested age for this book;

i think kids younger than 4 can also find some humor in it.

will chooses it almost every night for his bedtime story.

pete & i have read it so many times we practically have the whole thing memorized.

it's a family joke to start reciting the book whenever it fits the current situation.

our favorite part is...

"i just don't know what's going on, or why it has to be...."

the boys begin reciting the rest whenever we bust out with that line.

we think it's pretty funny, silly, and a little weird.

it will for sure add a laugh, or at least a weird face after reading it.

s" The gross factor is a key ingredient here, with Arnold exploiting it nicely in bold, comical illustrations that catch the full-blown anxieties of the imaginative narrator. When Mom and Dad intervene, little boy and audience alike breathe a sigh of relief. A zany, ultimately reassuring take on something that may indeed be a child's bugaboo. Stephanie Zv