OUT TO LUNCH

A brief rhyming text, suitable for beginning readers, and cartoon-style illustrations chronicle a frog family’s disastrous lunch at a fancy restaurant. Young Joe crawls under the table, plays with his food, slurps and burps, and, true to his froggy nature, catches a fly on his tongue. His parents try in vain to control him while other diners point and stare, frown indisapproval, and laugh out loud. The frazzled waiter, splashed with food and drink, clearly can’t wait for the family to leave. And leave they do, to the safety of a fast-food joint, where Joe can cavort happily in the playground while his parents glumly eat their burgers and fries. This has funny moments, especially the fly-catching and the surprise ending, but the slapstick humor spins out of control, and the point of view is adult. Any parent who has endured such a meal will relate to this, but children may miss the point. (Picture book. 4-8)