Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-This is a serious book. Well, it would be if not for the delightfully funny antics of one donkey and his friends. They are loud, they make silly faces, they have a parade-basically, they break every rule as outlined on the front flap (this includes "behave," "no laughing," and "study"). From the second page onward, the narrator quickly loses control of the story as more silly animals fill the page. In this way, color also takes up more of the white space (which irks the beleaguered narrator). Rieley wisely uses the presentation of the book to show the opposing viewpoints; the text is in a plain black font-in other words, rather serious-looking-while the illustrations are a boldly colorful mixed-media type (both the jacket and the hidden cover underneath are good indicators of what to expect). Altogether, this is a great read-aloud that a storyteller can really play up; the statements are short, the narration builds up, and there is lots to laugh at. Children will love the contradiction between the images and text and will like that the animals clearly choose to ignore the rules. Getting them to mimic the deeds of this donkey and his friends will only increase the fun for active little ones. VERDICT A seriously silly book brimming with opportunities for actively engaging storytime attendees.-Rachel Forbes, formerly at Oakville Public Library, Ont. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Everything in this book is thoughtful, proper, respectable, and, of course, very, very serious," insists an omniscient narrator. Not so, according to the prim-looking animals enlisted to model serious behavior: as pages are turned, their antics appropriate more and more space until finally it's party time. When the narrator capitulates ("I give up"), readers and listeners will feel victorious as well as satisfied. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
No its not.The metapicture-book trend continues in this silly offering. Addressing readers directly, the text begins by listing many things that are not allowed in a serious book: funny faces, back handsprings, dressing up, jumping up and down. / And definitely no tooting. The accompanying illustrations show a mischievous donkey doing all of these forbidden things, raising the ire of the unseen narrator. When a zebra shows up the mischief only increases, and the narrator ultimately loses all control as monkeys, a snake, and a penguin join in. Okay, I give up.This book is a / NOT SO serious book! reads the closing text, with the words NOT SO painted in red by the donkey, who holds a red paintbrush between its teeth. Rieleys mixed-media illustrations make the most of the books large trim size, with their exuberant, not-at-all serious characters cavorting about the white backgrounds of the pages. Together, text and art are sure to provoke laughs, though the brand of humor is well-trod in recent publishing cycles. This is a funny book. Seriously. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
