These are 2 standards I use in my
2nd grade visits. So why does the one on the left seem to get more laughs than the one on the right which I think is funnier? (Take a look at Esme's post about this one especially if you haven't read it, and thanks to Liz at tea cozy for making me take a 2nd look at 17 Things- I almost passed it by. )
Is it the way I read the left one with my different voices? Is it because the one on the left talks to the audience and the one on the right uses the pictures to tell the story and is therefore a little more work to decipher? Does it once again come down to voice and level of engagement? We all know how successful Mo Willems pigeon books are because they make the listeners knowing accomplices to the story. So maybe pitting these two books against eachother is a purely arbitrary endeavor, and maybe it just boils down to just because I like it doesn't mean a child will like it even if I give it all I have. Any thoughts?
3 comments:
Maybe another bit could be that MB is more of an every kid while 17 Things is not?
I adore 17 Things; it reminds me of my niece; but not every kid is like that? But I found her very Ramona-ish, and I think kids like hearing about that even if it's not how they are.
I find this interesting because I think MB demands more from the audience; no one flat out says, these are the different ways people see someone, bla bla bla. And I like that the kids get it.
Miss Pea,
well, what a nice site you have here.
I have only read 17 Things, but my son LOVES that book. He likes to read it himself and look at the illustrations and notice what the illustrator used and such. He doesn't crack up laughing at the book but it's definitely a favorite this year. He's 7.
Are you the Miss Pea who works with Liz B.?
Susan
Chicken Spaghetti
My first reaction to 17 Things was "Wow! This is going to be great". But once I moved on from page 1, it felt flat to me, it didn't live up to the promise of the first bang. After all, walking to school backwards is definitely not all that different than walking home backwards. I find 17 Things visually stunning and subversively amusing, but MB wins, if only for the voices.
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