Diane Billstrom

In my opinion, this is one of the best poetry books for children. I enjoyed reading this book because it is very silly. I strongly believe that young children will adore this book. The plot, illustrations, and writing are very comical. The plot is not very suspenseful, but it is relatable for young children who do not want to wear clothes. The story is about a boy who wants to go to school naked. His parents tell him that he cannot go to school naked. Then his parents tell him all of the reasons why he cannot go to school naked. Their reasons are very funny, rhyme, and use a great deal of descriptive language. For example, “If you went to school naked when the sun’s overhead, you would get sunburn and turn very red! You might be confused with a big red tomato, stewed in a pot with a russet potato! On the playground if you slipped down the slide, without your clothes you would have quite a ride! Especially near summer, with your exposed hide, you’d come out all crispy, like being French-fried!” The illustrations show pictures of what would happen if the boy went to school naked. The illustrations are very appropriate for young children because no naked body parts are actually illustrated. Towards the end of the story, the parents say, “You can’t go to school naked! Come to your senses! Consider, if you please, the consequences.” The boy realizes that he does not want to go to school naked. He realizes that going to school naked would not be as fun as he thought. Instead, the boy decides to dress up as a superhero. He goes to school dressed up as a superhero. Then he dresses up as a cowboy, a spaceman, and a pirate. The big idea of this story is to teach children to not go to school naked. This book also teaches children to think before taking actions.… (más)

Summary:
Parents explain to their child that he cannot go to school naked because a variety of things could happen to him. He could be confused for a pig, or he could become his own art work on an easel, or he could freeze and have the flu bug. The kid tells them he does not like clothes. At the end the child decides he'll go covered to school to prevent all those things his parents told him but his parents never said what kind of clothes he had to wear so he chooses a hero custom.

Comments:
I like how the author uses metaphors. I think this will help readers comprehend the story better. It has a lot of vocabulary that children could learn while reading this book. The paintings in the book are extraordinary. I like the texture and my favorite picture is the one when the child is in bed and thinking about all his parents said would happen if he went to school naked (the soup). I like that the book has a comical sense.… (más)