AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds
GENRE
Traditional Literature (Folktale)
REVIEW
In memorable opening lines, Wahl establishes exactly the kind of little boy we are about to meet: "Once there was a fine-looking boy named Little Eight John. He looked fine. But he didn't act fine. He was as mean as mean there was." Little Eight John is a boy who just can't resist doing what he is not supposed to do, and who laughs at the bad fortune of others. If his mother advises him that climbing trees in his nicest outfit will bring grief to the family, up the nearest trunk he goes. When the family's potatoes won't grow as a result, John giggles. But as the conclusion of the story shows, no one can escape the consequences of meanness forever. Although there isn't a large amount of text in this book, a few pages may contain a bit more than is appropriate for 0-4 year olds. However, the repetitive nature of the story, with its sequence of several instances in which John deliberately disobeys his mother's wishes, compensates for these few longer pages. The tone is enjoyably conversational and the text includes direct address of the reader such as "Well sir, right then he had to go count his teeth." The illustrations, which appear to be drawn in colored pencil, fill each page with life and movement. The expressions on characters' faces are well detailed, reflecting a range of emotions. This Coretta Scott King award winner would make a fun read-aloud for preschoolers, and for many toddlers as well.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
This story could be shared at a special periodic folktale storytime. Such folktale storytimes may help to make more patrons aware of the fact that there are many works of fiction in the portion of the library organized by Deewy Decimal numbers.
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