"Fangs A Lot!": Simms Taback's Great Big Book of Spacey Snakey Buggy Riddles by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenbert

What animal has the most ticks?
A WATCHdog!

Early elementary kids love riddles, and with those reigning royals of riddledom, Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg, as the riddlemeisters and two-time Caldecott artist Simms Taback responsible for the illustrious illustrations, Simms Taback's Great Big Book of Spacey, Snakey, Buggy Riddles (Viking, 2008) can't help but be a wild and woolly winner with the giggly set.

What do bugs have that no other animal has?

Baby buggies!

Hall and Eisenberg limit themselves here to riddles about space, snakes, and bugs, but for these jolly jokesters, that is no limitation. Martians, anacondas, queen bees, spiders--they've got a joke for all of them.

What do spiders like with their hamburgers?

French flies!

Simms Taback's comic flair and strong use of color contrast works perfectly with the format of one riddle per page. Making frequent use of his trademark black backgrounds, he uses strong lines and glowing colors which make his silly characters seem almost three dimensional.

Why shouldn't you grab a snake's tail?

It's only his tail, but it could be your END!

But it's okay to grab Simms Taback's Great Big Book of Spacey, Snakey, Buggy Riddles, a comical collaboration between two riddlers and one illustrator who are all at the top of their game.

Heart-y Humor: Olive You! And Other Valentine Knock-Knock Jokes You'll A-Door by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg

Knock-Knock!
Who's there?
Igloo.
Igloo who?
Igloo my fingers together when I make Valentines!

Those nabobs of knock-knockology, Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg, have another classic holiday joke book which is just right for riddle-me readers who dote on jokes on the punny side. In their evergreen Olive You!: And Other Valentine Knock-Knock Jokes You'll A-Door (Lift-the-Flap Knock-Knock Book) the two knocksters again have combined talents with illustrator-designer Stephen Carpenter to create a neat little paperback flap book just right for the elementary reader.

Following their successful formula, Hall and Eisenberg take the reader through a typical elementary school Valentine's Day. The kids put away their backpacks as they greet their classroom pets, hamsters Pammy and Hammy, who are just making their getaway beneath the first flap. Next come visits to the music room (lift the keyboard cover on the piano for a musical knock-knock) and to the library, where Valentine books are prominently displayed (I Love Candy Hearts by I. Kent Getenuff). A message from an author beneath a book cover flap tells the kids what they most want to know about the big day:

Roses are red,
Reading is great!
The party's at two--
Please come! Don't be late!

It's hard to wait for the party, but there are plenty of jokes to keep the kids smiling through the long, long day. In the Health Room they see a potential patient: Knock-knock! Who's there? Arthur. Arthur who? Arthurmometer says he's fine!

There's no escape from jokes in the gym either: Knock-knock. Who's there? Gym. Gym who? Gym me a little kiss! and

Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Doris.
Doris who?
Doris stuck on your gym locker!

The romantic rodents, Pammy and Hammy, kiss and tell under imaginative flaps as we proceed through the cafeteria (Knock-knock. Who's there? Peas. Peas who? Peas be my Valentine!) and at last on to the kids' classroom, where decorations and an inviting cloth-covered table flap proclaim that the party starts here!

Knock-knock!
Who's there?
Juicy!
Juicy who?
Juicy all this great food?

Kids love knock-knock jokes--a good enough reason in itself to enjoy this book at Valentine's season. But knock-knock jokes are also a easy way to introduce beginning readers to the nuances of the English language through their use of layered meanings within the puns. In their several holiday books Hall and Eisenberg can be counted on to do a great job to teach the fun of joyful word play. For more heart-y humor, see also their companion book Hearty Har Har: Valentine Riddles You'll Love (Lift-the-Flap).