Tuesday, March 6, 2012

What do you do with a kangaroo?

What Do You Do With A Kangaroo?
Mercer Mayer ~ Scholastic, 1973


Of all the Mayer books that my son loves filled with devils and monsters, for some reason, this is the only book of Mercer's that gives him the creeps.

He's always been a bit of a realist, so perhaps he can hang with ghosts, goblins and other figments of the imagination, but the idea of a possum using his toothbrush or a tiger zoinking his tricycle is just too much to bear. I, however, think the plot is delightful!

What do you do?
What do you do with a Kangaroo
who jumps in your window, sits on your bed,
and says,
"I never sleep on wrinkled sheets,
so change them now and make them smooth,
and fluff up the pillows if you please."
What do you do?
You throw him out, that's what you do.
"Get out of my bed, you Kangaroo!"


Ah, yes. How do you get a llama out of your jeans? Or a raccoon to stop eating your breakfast cereal? Or a camel to quit drinking your bath water? Alas, those that you can't throw out, you have to snuggle down with. Once again, Mercer's early watercolor and inks shine, this time with a little girl running the show. (Those bell-bottoms just kill me.)

Also by:
Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp
One Monster After Another
Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-A-Zoo
Me and My Flying Machine
Beauty and the Beast
A Special Trick
Bubble Bubble
Little Monster at Work
One Frog Too Many
How the Trollusk Got His Hat
AH-CHOO
The Bird of Time
OOPS
Herbert the Timid Dragon
Professor Wormbog's Gloomy Kerploppus
A Silly Story

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5 comments:

  1. And there it is! My favorite book ever.

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  2. awe... i LOVED this book when i was little!

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  3. Just found your blog. I have recently written a post about childhood favorite books, and have entered you into the Linky. I hope you don't mind!
    http://saveeverystep.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/lifes-a-journey-week-9-favourite-childhood-books/

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  4. ONE OF OUR FAVS!

    You know what really shoved Mercer Mayer into my world? The 'Great Brain' books -- did you ever read those as a kid? I just LOVED them! I hope Julia likes them someday.

    This word can be so twee, but I feel like MM gets the whimsy of a kid's world just right. He gets how weird it all is. You know?

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  5. These pictures look fun and entertaining...however, I just don't get why the kids that Mercer does have to be so mean and angry looking. If anyone knowswhat ?I mean I wish they would please explain.Thanx

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