"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!" by Patricia Thomas, illustrated by Wallace Tripp. Originally published in 1971, reissued in 1990. Picture book, suitable for ages 2-6 and most adults.
Five out of five stars.
As indicated by the title, the elephant is about to sneeze, and the nearby animals panic as they recall what happened last time. A tiny mouse attempts to solve the problem, but...oh, dear...
This is one of my favorite picture books, it is (sadly) not very well-known. It is a fantastic read-aloud, the rhyming and rhythm are great, and it is quite funny. Kids laugh out loud at the various predicaments caused by the elephant's forceful sneeze, for example, the stripes are blown off of the zebra, the giraffe (don't laugh!) is bent in half, the crocodile's snout turns inside out, and so on. The brilliant pen & ink illustrations by the great Wallace Tripp elevate this book from "great" to "essential." I have read it about six million times to my son and still enjoy it, and that's the best testimonial I could offer.
reviewed by Tina K., parent (and bookseller)
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1 comment:
This is really an excellent book. It's a cute story, all in rhyme with fantastic illustrations. It's one of those books that's not only enthralling for the child because the illustrations of the animals are so engaging, but it's fun for the parent to read too. It builds in energy through the art of the rhyme and delivers well at the end. We love this book.
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