DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
by Bob Shea ; illustrated by Bob Shea
Buddy is one cranky, hungry monster.
He yells at the mountains, the trees and even the sun. “You’re not so hot, SUN!” But whom does he like to yell at the most? Bunnies! He’s going to eat them up. “No, please, no!” the bunnies quiver. “We were about to make cupcakes!” Buddy, not one to fall for trickery, declares, “Cupcakes first. Bunnies for dessert.” But of course, after eating nine cupcakes, he’s far too full to eat another bite. He promises to return for the bunnies the next day. Thus, the manipulation continues. The bunnies take him swimming so he’s too tired to eat them. Then they form the Stripey-Stripe Club—in honor of Buddy and his orange stripes! Buddy is having so much fun with the bunnies that he forgets the old adage: Don’t play with your food. Well, now he can’t eat the bunnies because they have become…his friends! Buddy, the chubby little monster, looks suspiciously similar to a certain red dinosaur (Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, 2008, etc.) and has the bravado to match. The ending goes a beat too far, but Shea’s storytelling still shines.
Children often see themselves as the underdog in an adultcentric world; they’ll be rooting for the bunnies (all three…no wait, 72 of them).
(Picture book. 3-6)