Is Everyone Ready for Fun? Jan Thomas
February 01, 2012
Book: Is Everyone Ready for Fun?
Author: Jan Thomas
Pages: 40
Age Range: 2-5
Is Everyone Ready for Fun, by Jan Thomas, is reminiscent of Erica Perl's Chicken Butt, and some of Sandra Boynton's board books. It's a boldly illustrated tale of utter, slapstick nonsense. Three cows decide that it's time to jump up and down on Chicken's sofa. When Chicken protests, they agree not to jump on the sofa anymore. But dancing and wiggling aren't jumping, are they? Fortunately, they find something that Chicken can get on board with in the end.
Thomas' text is all exclamation-point-filled dialog. Like this:
"DANCE!
Back and forth,
back and forth.
Let's all
DANCE
back and forth!
On Chicken's sofa!
With the words "DANCE" in big red letters. The cows have generally big, goofy grins on their faces (they look none too bright), while the chicken positively exudes outrage. The little red sofa looks ridiculously squashed beneath the three big cows. In her digitally created illustrations, Thomas uses smooth, solid backgrounds in bright greens and blues, and wide, bold lines for the animals' features.
Is Everyone Ready for Fun is pretty much exactly what the title and cover promise, a fun, nonsensical romp sure to entertain toddlers and preschoolers. There's not a lot of depth here, but there is enough humor and zest for life to make kids cry "Again!". The cows' literal-minded and "who, us?" approach to criticism should perfectly suit the target audience. Parents should just beware that this book WILL inspire couch-jumping, wiggling, and dancing. An entertaining read-aloud for young listeners.
Publisher: Beach Lane Books (@SimonKidsYA)
Publication Date: September 27, 2011
Source of Book: Cybils review copy from the publisher
Nominated for 2011 Cybils in Fiction Picture Books by: Elizabeth
Also reviewed by: morninglightmama
© 2011 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).