And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon

Rating:
Summary: Winning Performance Piece and Kids Story
Review: After seeing this storybook done in the National Forensic League National Tournament 2002, I had to find out where it came from. I was extremely surprised to find that it was a childrens story. The way it was interpreted was completely different than the story seemed to be read, but that is what I like so much about this story.
It takes a very usual story and blows it into an unusual one. I recommend it to NFL performers on behalf of its 2nd place win at the National Tournament and because of its universal appeal to all ages and attention spans.
Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: Crummel and Stevens at their best.
Review: I am an avid fan of Stevens and Crummel and this book is by far my favorite of the books they have done. The pictures are outstanding. The way the old nursury rhymes are interpreted is wonderful, the interactions of the characters are funny (even for adults, maybe even more so.) If you like good picturebooks, this one will not disappoint. I highly recommend this book. I do read-alouds with my students (middle school) every year, and every year when I read this book, by the end of the year I have had 15 to 20 requests to see and hear it again. The great thing is that when I do read this one aloud, they are all listening and enjoying the story. Buy it!

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best!
Review: My 5 year old son brought this book home from the school library. We read it that night and I couldn't put it down. What a fresh, new way to look at some very well read nursery rhymes! The illustrations were colorful and creative. Also, the way they intertwined the nursery tales allowed me to pull out even more stories to read to my son. It was engaging for him and entertaining for me. I have already given this as a gift to friends. Thank you, Janet and Susan, for creating such a wonderful place for my son's imagination to wander.

Rating:
Summary: Loved This Book!!!
Review: My 5 year old son brought this book home from the school library. We read it that night and I couldn't put it down. What a fresh, new way to look at some very well read nursery rhymes! The illustrations were colorful and creative. Also, the way they intertwined the nursery tales allowed me to pull out even more stories to read to my son. It was engaging for him and entertaining for me. I have already given this as a gift to friends. Thank you, Janet and Susan, for creating such a wonderful place for my son's imagination to wander.

Rating:
Summary: Educational and Entertaining
Review: My son and I checked this book out from the library when he was about 2 1/2, and he loved it! I did, too. In addition to being fun and clever, with delightful illustrations, the book was a great launching point for further discussions in three areas. First, the word play offers lots of chances for parents to begin explaining jokes, cliches and puns. (And I appreciated that the humor was engaging on both child and adult levels!) Second, the involvement of other Mother Goose characters is a natural lead-in to further reading. In fact, after reading "And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon," we returned to the library for a good Mother Goose collection and went through it looking for now-familiar characters. And third, it is a great way to introduce map-reading skills. My son pretended to draw and read maps after reading this book, and he now understands that miles and directions (north, south, east and west) are ways of expressing where things are.

Rating:
Summary: Educational and Entertaining
Review: My son and I checked this book out from the library when he was about 2 1/2, and he loved it! I did, too. In addition to being fun and clever, with delightful illustrations, the book was a great launching point for further discussions in three areas. First, the word play offers lots of chances for parents to begin explaining jokes, cliches and puns. (And I appreciated that the humor was engaging on both child and adult levels!) Second, the involvement of other Mother Goose characters is a natural lead-in to further reading. In fact, after reading "And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon," we returned to the library for a good Mother Goose collection and went through it looking for now-familiar characters. And third, it is a great way to introduce map-reading skills. My son pretended to draw and read maps after reading this book, and he now understands that miles and directions (north, south, east and west) are ways of expressing where things are.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome.
Review: The school that I teach at is performing this play tonight. It has come along great and going to be very cute live and in person. Very good book!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome.
Review: The school that I teach at is performing this play tonight. It has come along great and going to be very cute live and in person. Very good book!

Rating:
Summary: Clever idea, but questionable dialogue
Review: This book is so clever. We checked it out from the library almost 3 weeks ago, and have read it with our 3 year old everyday. She loves it THAT much.

I must be honest, the first night we read it, she fell asleep during our "family read" (it had been a REALLY long day for her) but my husband and I actually sat there with our sleeping 3 year old, and finished reading the book, just to see how it ended.

The dialogue between the characters is so witty, and the bringing in of other Mother Goose stories is so clever. This book is fantastic.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!!
Review: This book is so entertaining. It incorporates some very subtle humor (which makes it entertaining for adults as well as children). As far as teaching is concerned, the animals make some good use of their own unique abilities and problem-solving skills. My son and I checked it out at the library and now I am online ordering it for this coming Christmas (which is 9 months away). As a side comment, we have also checked out some other Janet Stevens books and found them equally as wonderful. Check out "Cook-a-Doodle-Doo"......and be sure to make the shortbread recipie that is in the book, it is VERY good!