Ladies and Gentlemen!

by Dana Meachen Rau, Jim Caputo (Illustrator)

A child is very nervous about the possibility of not remembering what to say in the play.

32 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Dana Meachen Rau is an author, editor, and illustrator of children's books. She has written more than 100 books for children, many of them nonfiction in subjects including astronomy, history, and geography, as well as numerous biographies. She lives in Burlington, Connecticut, with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Jordan Schwab · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is targeted for children whom are just becoming independent readers. "Ladies and Gentlemen" introduces the concept of dialogue very briefly along with some more descriptive words that children may have not read before. I would suggest to read this in a music class or a readers' theater program in elementary school right before a performance for any children who may have some pre-show jitters.

At first sight, this book drew my attention by illustrating a young boy in a turtle suit. After my initial glance at the title combined with the use of a microphone in the illustration, I was intrigued due to my performing arts past.

There are very few borders as well as headers among the pages. The text is fairly simple, especially in font. This concept would help new readers to be able to read the words a little more easily.

When concerning the text-to-illustration interaction, the words and pictures go together very well. The illustration is often a visual description of what the text says which creates a bridge for understanding for a younger audience. In fact, I would consider this to be one of the best parts about the book. The pictures are super cute and made me find myself smirking at them often.