What is that? Said the Cat

I bought this book in a pack of Scholastic Level 1 early readers.  This is by far my favorite  one.

Author: Grace Maccarone
Illustrator: Jeffrey Scherer
Publisher: Cartwheel (1998)
Prices: Library Binding - $7.99, Paperback - $3.99
Reading level: 4 to 8 years old 
Interest level: Lower Grades 
Physical Characteristics: 6.2 x 9.2 inches, 32 pages 
ISBN: 0590259458
Genres: Children’s Fiction

Subjects:
Curiosity
Animals
First Words
Books in Rhyme

Annotation: 
Can a group of animals pay attention to a sign on a giant crate that says, “Do not open”?

Summary: 
A fox finds a large crate with a sign on it that says, “Do not open”.  His friends come to see what it is.  A Bird, a cat, a crow, a pig a bee, a pup, a cow, a horse a rat, a fly and a duck all try to help the fox open the crate, despite the warning.  The fly finally gets the job done by flying in to the lock and jimmying it from the inside.  When the box opens an alligator appears, and one by one all the animals run away as they scream, “See you later, Alligator”

Evaluation: 
This is a wonderful book. It is perfect for the emergent reader.  The sentences are short, the words are repeated making for better retention, and the illustrations add to the story.  Each character is introduced one by one with a rhyme, and then disappears one by one in the reverse order.  It’s a wonderful example of be careful what you wish for.  All the animals were so excited to open that box, that they never even thought about the fact that the box was locked for a reason.

Similar Titles or Authors:
Itchy, Itchy, Chicken Pox by Grace Maccarone
Jenny and Lorenzo by Toni Sneider
Me… Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Websites:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/what-said-cat

http://us.macmillan.com/author/gracemaccarone
 
http://www.jeffreyscherer.com/

All images (c)Jeffrey Scherer