That's What You Get! -- Rick Walton

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

28 Apr 2007 08:15 AM

This children's picture book is a great combination of funny words and hysterical pictures. I laughed out loud as I reached the last page - I think it's important that the parent enjoy reading the book as much as the child enjoys listening to it.

Our main character is a rather accident-prone little boy who just keeps making mistakes. His mother has a sense of humor, thank goodness, otherwise he'd never survive childhood.

We begin with the lad falling on his head when he got out of bed. His mother tells him that's what he gets for sleeping in a tree. He then gets attacked by bees from every direction, and his mother says that's what he gets for washing his hair with honey.

He then brushes his teeth with glue, falls down while cleaning his room, and tries to mow the street with the lawnmower. He also steals furniture from the neighbors so he can build up the woodpile, and cooks his shoes into a delicious stew for dinner. Mom is always on hand to set him straight.

She explains to him why everything looks upside down (it's because he's standing on his head) and why his book vibrates when he reads on the bus. She patiently tells him that dancing on the fence will most certainly cause rips in your pants. And when the neighbors get mad at him for playing his drum, she says, "That's what you get for playing at night. (And under their windows, no less!)"

The best page of the book, however, is this:

"Then today, when I looked at you, you were good-looking, and smart, and strong, and happy, and graceful, and healthy, and talented, and really wise, too. I told Mom. She took a look."

And then Mom says: "That's what they get for reading this book!"

This story is well worth your time just to look at the great pictures. The illustrator did a wonderful job of matching the tone of the story with the tone of the pictures, and I found them a perfect match.

(This book was published in 2000 by Gibbs Smith and was illustrated by Jimmy Holder.)

Related Blogs:

Books to Read Together

Bertie Was a Watchdog

Jennifer Jones Won't Leave Me Alone

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger