Picture Book Monday: Tell Me the Day Backwards & If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

[osprey_archer]

We were mostly reinforcing the bindings on the holiday books at the library today, which is not conducive to actually reading the books, so I have few books on which to report. In fact, I have just one: I read a charming book about semi-anthropomorphized bears, Tell Me the Day Backwards, which is about bears who live in a den with little beds that they sleep in while they hibernate, and also like to sit next to anthills and nibble up the raw ants.

I think I'm used to my anthropomorphized animals being more fully anthropomorphized than that - Frances, for instance, never exchanges her bread and jam for worms, which would be a bit more badger-y - so the whole thing struck me as rather odd, but it is a sweet story and it's a game (let's go through the events of the day! Backwards!) that I could actually imagine a child enjoying.

We also got a battered copy of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. I suggested that we should let nature take its course and destroy the book, but no, alas, we're going to repair it.

I have never appreciated this book. I think small children are supposed to see themselves in the demanding but adorable mouse, but I always figured that if I were in the story, I would be the one shlepping cookies to that ungrateful mouse, and I always felt indignant that the spineless human never said no to anything.

At least the human never went all Giving Tree for the mouse's sake. I firmly opposed the tree's boundless generosity in that book, too.

I also, while we're on the topic of picture books that I hated, always loathed Curious George. I never got over the book where he thoughtlessly destroys a dinosaur skeleton - I ask you! A dinosaur skeleton! - and everyone is so taken by his cuteness that they just forgive him. HE DESTROYED A DINOSAUR SKELETON. I don't think I ever devised an appropriate punishment regime for him, but at very least he ought to have to apologize and probably take a remedial class in proper dinosaur appreciation.

Comments

[evelyn-b.livejournal.com]

Aww, that looks adorable!

I was never able to get into Curious George, either. I think for me, there was something just slightly too distant about the illustrations -- just that style, I guess, like illustrations for an advertising poster. So I don't have any memories of George destroying things.

Actually, I wasn't a fan of Shel Silverstein, either. We always had his books around and he was kind of an agreed-on family favorite, but tiny!me couldn't see the appeal. Lots of clunkers and too-obvious lessons. (AND I didn't like "A Boy Named Sue." Man, I am full of childhood-classic negativity today. :|)

Except for Hungry Mungry. I respect that guy's hunger.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

We didn't have any Shel Silverstein books, which probably means that I missed out on a cornerstone of childhood, but I've never quite seen why other people like his poetry so much either. Give me Emily Dickinson any day.

I have discovered that childhood classics are a good way to bring out the fervor in people. Even those who serene and even-keeled today will often rouse to fury in memory of some childhood classic they hated.

[minutia-r.livejournal.com]

Alternatively, if you want a book about a child who refuses to take any guff from demanding animals, there's always Mercer Meyer's What Do You Do With a Kangaroo? Unfortunately, the ending somewhat undermines the book's otherwise excellent message.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Aw, does the kid end up caving to the demanding kangaroo?

[minutia-r.livejournal.com]

Not exactly, but she proves ultimately unable to throw the kangaroo (and the llama, and the raccoon, and the opossum, etc.) out, and they all end up sleeping in a big cuddle pile on her bed.

It's a cute book, though, you should see if they have it in the library next time you're there.