Monday, March 30, 2020

That's Good That's Bad by Joan M. Lexau & illustrated by Aliki (Vintage 1960s reissue)


ISBN  9783791374192
Hardcover $17.95
Ages 3-7, 40 pages
Prestel Publishing
My thoughts:  This is a reissue of a cute, vintage children's classic, filled with eye-catching new reproductions of Aliki's iconic illustrations. It features a boy and a tiger and their simple, straightforward conversation.
The boy and tiger meet in the jungle and the tiger tells the boy to run or he will eat him. The boy then recounts his exhausting day escaping calamity in the jungle and the tiger responds with a "That's Good" or a "That's Bad."

The story lines are simply stated. Rather droll. But highly insightful. Consider a vulnerable boy and a mighty, dangerous tiger in rather close proximity and conversing. As the boy shares his story, unknown to tiger, the rhino is getting nearer and nearer. The boy escapes both the tiger and the rhino. Personally, I think the story is really cute and ultimately the wit and human thinking ability of the boy enables him to escape these two ferocious animals.

I had fun reading this book and loved the bright, stark illustrations that are so expressive.

About the book: A boy is sitting on a rock in the jungle when a tiger approaches him. "Run!" says the tiger, "or I will eat you!" But the boy is too tired to run and in order to avoid being eaten he tells the tiger a story. What follows is a thrilling tale that will captivate young readers just as thoroughly as it captivated the hungry tiger. Kids will enjoy waiting breathlessly for every flip of the page as the boy tells his story involving a rhinoceros and a crocodile. Originally published in 1963 and out of print for many years, this book by award-winning illustrator and author Aliki features fabulous vintage style illustrations. This new edition preserves the vivid colors of the original book while introducing a new generation of young readers to a skillfully told story-within-a-story with a surprising and satisfying ending.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

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