A Busy Creature's Day Eating!

by Mo Willems

Overview

Mo Willems delivers a smorgasbord of hunger, hubris, regret, and redemption as a Busy Creature hilariously chomps and chews its way from A to P and then to Z.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368013529
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	711,195
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 11.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Mo Willems (www.pigeonpresents.com), a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, has been awarded a Caldecott Honor on three occasions, for Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. The celebrated Elephant & Piggie early-reader series has been awarded the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal on two occasions (for There Is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside?) as well as garnering five Geisel Honors (for We Are in a Book!, I Broke My Trunk!, Let’s Go for a Drive!, A Big Guy Took My Ball! and Waiting Is Not Easy!).

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/22/2018
G is for gluttony (ok, “gravy,” technically) in Willems’s madcap abecedary, built around a youngster who devours everything in sight, then suffers the consequences. Purple, wide-eyed, and resembling a cross between a monkey, dog, and Muppet, the young creature explodes out of bed and into an alphabetical meal of “Apples! Berries! Cereal!” It isn’t pretty: Granny Smiths and strawberries go flying, and the creature dives face-first into its cereal bowl. The text is limited to whatever the creature is eating at the moment (and the accompanying alphabet letter), and Willems captures each moment in frenetically cartooned vignettes and larger scenes. Soon, food isn’t enough: “Jacket! Kilt! Lunch Box!” (Hilariously, the creature dumps the food out of the lunch box before devouring it.) Queasiness follows (just in time for Q), and parental consolation is required: V is for “vomit,” a much tidier affair than all of the eating that precedes it. There are a lot of laughs in this feeding frenzy, but just as much tenderness in the final scenes, which poignantly reflect the ABCs of TLC. Ages 3–5. Agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 04/01/2018
PreS-Gr 1—"Do not try this at home!" cautions Willems as he proceeds to tell the story of a hungry little purple creature that eagerly eats its way through the alphabet, though not without consequence. Snuggling in bed with a one-eyed Knuffle bunny, the protagonist awakens to a new day of eating and "AAAA—ZING!" it's off to the kitchen where the hungry tyke gobbles up apples, berries, cereal, doughnuts, and eggs (straight from the crate). Momentarily stumped on what to eat next, it proceeds to chow down on the furniture. Further courses feature other food and non-food items from ice cream to lunch boxes with equal enthusiasm; but the plot changes when the tenacious eater groans and then it's a mad dash to the bathroom (potty) with dad coming to the rescue. ("Queasy? Rice. Saltines. Tea.") The accompanying illustrations speak volumes as readers watch the poor, now slightly green, purple creature accept comfort from its concerned father who finally deposits the exhausted little one back into bed to snuggle once again with bunny; after all, tomorrow is another day. Willems's distinct clever, outrageous humor gives children a hilarious picture book alphabet that tells a story with minimal text. Challenge students to plan the character's menu for the rest of the week or pair with Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty for another culinary alphabet adventure. VERDICT A first purchase for all libraries serving children.—Barbara Auerbach, formerly at New York City Public Schools

School Library Journal

2018-02-03
With Willems' name on it, this abecedary is bound to be zany—and it is. This over-the-top "smorgasbord" is a tale of a raucous creature that chomps and chews everything in sight, from A to Z. But wait—this is not one of Willems' simple Elephant and Piggie early readers, nor is it the story of a little girl and her beloved stuffed bunny. This creature is not avian, but it's a kissing cousin to Willems' pigeon. The blocky purple character with googly orange eyes wears a blue-and-red-striped shirt and pants (or perhaps pajamas), and it has a black, bulbous nose and protruding white teeth. The beginning letters of its monumental meal stand for common edible items: "Apple! Berries! Cereal!" Then it goes bananas, eating "Furniture!…Kilt! Lunch Box! [and] Napkins!" that induce a run to the "POTTY!" No one will be surprised to learn that the creature is "Queasy" and needs to "Vomit." An adult figure arrives on the scene with hugs and kisses ("XO-XO-XO!"), and the creature emits a huge "YAWN…" and is finally "Zonked." Children will follow right along with the creature's mishaps, and they will enjoy predicting (incorrectly) what it might eat and (correctly) what happens as its face starts to turn green. They'll also appreciate the kindliness of the adult figure who shows no anger but instead tends lovingly to its charge.For readers on the Pigeon end of the spectrum, this will hit the spot, but those who love Willems' quieter protagonists may find it an abrupt change of pace. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews

"Willems's distinct clever, outrageous humor gives children a hilarious picture book alphabet that tells a story with minimal text . . . a first purchase for all libraries serving children."—School & Library Journal (starred review)

"There are a lot of laughs in this feeding frenzy, but just as much tenderness in the final scenes, which poignantly reflect the ABCs of TLC."—Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"Creative and hilarious, Willems' alphabet book has all the right ingredients to become a hit. Be prepared to binge read this one."—Booklist (starred review)

From the Publisher