Published in 1993, this Eric Carle book has flown under my radar. Michelle, my book buying cohort, introduced me to this story on one of our book shopping adventures. I'll admit, I was underwhelmed. There isn't much of a story as it is based on a children's song I'd never heard of, but the pictures are classic Eric Carle and fun to look at.
However, my opinion changed after reading it to nineteen-month-old Aria yesterday and seeing her reaction to it. She loved all the animals inside: a porcupine, snake, elephant, cat, pelican, fish, fox, chicken, monkey, parrot, and dog. Each animal has a food. Of course we made animal noises and pointed out each food. We read it twice, and she stayed completely engaged in the story - even chuckled at one point.
The story goes through the days of the week with an animal and a food. "Today is Monday, string beans. Tuesday, spaghetti. Monday, string beans." Each page repeats all the days before.
At the end of the story, a parrot calls everyone to dinner, and children from all parts of the world surround the table, including a child in a wheelchair. Aria loved this picture and spent a long time looking and pointing at everything in it.
Books impact each reader differently. While this one was meh for me, Aria loved it, which in turn makes me appreciate it. Seeing a book through someone else's eyes helps us understand that person a little better and helps us see the value in the book and the person who loves it.
Aww she loves animals food and books so this is a win win
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