What's So Scary?

by John Stadler

bThe Barnes Noble Review/bbrThe power of one harried illustrator threatens to doom a dog's birthday in this imaginative picture book from John Stradler. Dog's birthday is sabotaged by a fickle and overworked illustrator who has put him in the wrong story, and soon, he and 26 animal guests who have arrived for the celebration find themselves on the run from the illustrator -- and from quot;The Endquot; of the book. Kids will love the funny remarks from this frantic bunch: quot;If we're animals, how come we can talk?quot; and gorilla's pensive thought as a hangs from a tree quot;If a tree falls in a book and no one is reading, does anybody know?quot;
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As they near the end, Dog finally takes control of the artist's brush, painting wings on an elephant, who flies the animals into the right story and into a comfy bed for the sleepover that was originally planned. The cartoonish characters, creative plot, and behind-the-scenes look at the art of illustration will amuse and entertain young readers. i(Amy Barkat)/i

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2001

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bedtime story with a large cast of chattering animals who break the fourth wall. Fun!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange and silly book about a dog who is upset with the author for not writing the book he was supposed to. The dog and a slew of other animals end up fleeing from a colorful tsunami of paint.

The narrative is comprised entirely of dialogue, which could pose a bit of a problem when reading aloud. The illustrations are quite colorful and really tell the story. We enjoyed reading this book together and it's a good story to read at bedtime.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dog character finds itself in the wrong story - the fault of the author / illustrator. He rallies other animals around him to get to The End and escape the perils of being in the wrong book.

Very fun, self-referential (for the author) illustrations.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just didn't get this book. Actually, I think I see what the point was supposed to be, but it didn't really succeed. And as a picture book? My kid didn't get it either.

[Laura Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one STRANGE book. I don't think children would have any idea what the point of this book was. I'm not too sure I did, either,

[Sharonta Johnson]

This is an awesome book for teaching narratives. This books shows how the author and illustrator have power over the story and where it could go even if it does not suppose to go there.