My boys, 6 and 8, and I absolutely LOVED this story! Talk about giving boys a chance to misbehave in their imaginations! They loved this characters crazy ideas and that someone else gets in trouble too - the boys aren't the only ones, and they really aren't bad people. Its like a support group for kids! This story has been great for getting my 8 year old to see that other kids come up with inappropriate ideas too, and that he isn't alone in being creative as well as trouble-prone. This is also an example of giving kids in wishes what they can't have in reality. eg Oh I wish we could stay at the playground all day and all night and not have to brush our teeth, nor eat vegetables.
I note that other parents were concerned about their kids taking on the characters' ideas - well reading about these ideas and seeing how they turned out has been great conversation starters in our house, eg not leaving food to grow in closets and bedrooms, or the dangers of walking home backwards. We need more stories like this!!
Just hilarious. The faux innocent narration, the sly humor in the art, the antics of the narrator. Also, the badgers. Some of the parent reviews I’ve seen express horror at the unrepentant main character, but even at a very young age my son was crystal clear that this gal’s stunts are NOT very good ideas – and that’s what makes it so funny! The follow-up, 11 Experiments That Failed, is also quite pleasing, especially for science fans.
The second star is for the illustrations which are quite stunning. They were created with mixed media and digitally rendered. There are pictures of real objects hidden among the pages.
A girl tells 17 things she is not allowed to do anymore. The book has a cute premise that takes a nasty turn. The girl is not allowed to do the following things anymore:
Staple her brother's head to his pillow,
Glue her brother to the floor,
Tell her brother's fortune because she told him he would be eaten by hyenas,
Lie to the classroom that she owns beavers,
Show her underpants to a boy,
Set Joey's shoe on fire,
Throw food at her brother,
Treat her mother like a waitress at dinner,
Pretend to kill her mother at dinner using a doll,
Stick her fingers in her ears when her mother tells her to go to her room
This story jokes about these destructive and disturbing behaviors and then to add icing on the cake, instead of the child ever feeling bad, on the last page she says: "I had an idea to say the opposite of what I mean to trick everyone. I'm sorry. I am allowed to say the opposite of what I mean forevermore." She says I'm sorry while she hold the stapler behind her back and she hugs her mother. I AM HIGHLY DISTURBED BY THIS! This final scene itself is disturbing, but also the fact that this book celebrates lying, violence, meanness, and manipulation.
I would recommend this book to no one.
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Add a CommentThis is one of my favorite picture books hands down. It is quite funny and not only will kids enjoy it, parents will find it quite amusing as well.
My boys, 6 and 8, and I absolutely LOVED this story! Talk about giving boys a chance to misbehave in their imaginations! They loved this characters crazy ideas and that someone else gets in trouble too - the boys aren't the only ones, and they really aren't bad people. Its like a support group for kids! This story has been great for getting my 8 year old to see that other kids come up with inappropriate ideas too, and that he isn't alone in being creative as well as trouble-prone. This is also an example of giving kids in wishes what they can't have in reality. eg Oh I wish we could stay at the playground all day and all night and not have to brush our teeth, nor eat vegetables.
I note that other parents were concerned about their kids taking on the characters' ideas - well reading about these ideas and seeing how they turned out has been great conversation starters in our house, eg not leaving food to grow in closets and bedrooms, or the dangers of walking home backwards. We need more stories like this!!
Just hilarious. The faux innocent narration, the sly humor in the art, the antics of the narrator. Also, the badgers. Some of the parent reviews I’ve seen express horror at the unrepentant main character, but even at a very young age my son was crystal clear that this gal’s stunts are NOT very good ideas – and that’s what makes it so funny! The follow-up, 11 Experiments That Failed, is also quite pleasing, especially for science fans.
The second star is for the illustrations which are quite stunning. They were created with mixed media and digitally rendered. There are pictures of real objects hidden among the pages.
A girl tells 17 things she is not allowed to do anymore. The book has a cute premise that takes a nasty turn. The girl is not allowed to do the following things anymore:
Staple her brother's head to his pillow,
Glue her brother to the floor,
Tell her brother's fortune because she told him he would be eaten by hyenas,
Lie to the classroom that she owns beavers,
Show her underpants to a boy,
Set Joey's shoe on fire,
Throw food at her brother,
Treat her mother like a waitress at dinner,
Pretend to kill her mother at dinner using a doll,
Stick her fingers in her ears when her mother tells her to go to her room
This story jokes about these destructive and disturbing behaviors and then to add icing on the cake, instead of the child ever feeling bad, on the last page she says: "I had an idea to say the opposite of what I mean to trick everyone. I'm sorry. I am allowed to say the opposite of what I mean forevermore." She says I'm sorry while she hold the stapler behind her back and she hugs her mother. I AM HIGHLY DISTURBED BY THIS! This final scene itself is disturbing, but also the fact that this book celebrates lying, violence, meanness, and manipulation.
I would recommend this book to no one.
Such a cute book . Author could write more of the same . Very enjoyable read .
Super cute bedtime story!
Wonderful childrens reed.
Great for ages 2-7
Prefect length for bedtime stories or a quick curl up on the couch.