Viper (Puffin Easy-To-Read - Level 2)
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Thiesing has taken a story she heard years ago at summer camp and converted it into an easy-reader that is bound to appeal to children who love a spooky tale. Peggy Pig receives a phone call one Friday and hears a voice hissing, "I am zee Viper. I vill come in 1 year." At first she is unconcerned; bright illustrations portray her going through daily activities nonchalantly. But as the phone calls persist, fear creeps in. The Viper reminds her of his coming-"in 1 month," "in 1 veek," "in 3 days-." At the final countdown, the pages become black, showing only numerals of a digital clock and wide, anxious eyes. An eerie shadow on the window shade scares Peggy until she looks through the peephole and sees Willy the Window Wiper coming to do his yearly service on her home. There will be children who don't quite catch the humor at first reading, but once the joke is realized they will clamor to read it again to unsuspecting friends and adults. Few beginning readers are as good as this one to promote reading with expression. Librarians will appreciate a plug for dictionaries as Peggy looks up the word "viper." This book is absolutely delightful.Anne Knickerbocker, Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TXCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.