Lost in a Good Book

Published: 23rd April 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Pages: 42
Format: Paperback Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Star

One day a very hungry fox meets a very plump goose. A dinner invitation is offered. 

Will dinner go as planned? Or do the dinner plans involve a secret ingredient…?

(Don’t forget to listen to the baby geese!)

This is a creative story that works on nursery rhyme tropes but does so in an interesting way. Willems subverts your expectations and plays with conceived notions, and I loved how there is the little voice of reason from the chick about the dangers and why everything that happens is really Not A Good Idea.

The illustrations cleverly resemble the book version of a silent film, complete with the black screen and decorative border. It affects the way you read it, reading the words then seeing the picture, imagining it playing out as a movie. The text is clear and conversational and Willems makes reading easy and the layout brings the words and the illustrations together.

I can see kids loving this, it’s funny and surprising and a fun read.

You can purchase That is NOT a Good Idea! via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository | Dymocks

Angus and Robinson | Wordery

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust