That's Not Funny!
Grade 1-3–Alfie likes to laugh at other people's misfortune. He especially seems to enjoy laughing at his grandfather, who takes him and his pet rodent, Mr. Swiss, to town one day, where the child finds many things to laugh at, including the mailman getting chased by a dog and a jogger who runs into a tree. At the circus, Grandpa hopes to show Alfie things that are truly funny, but the child does not even chuckle. However, the last laugh is on Alfie; when an elephant falls on him after being frightened by Mr. Swiss, the audience roars. That's not funny!!! he cries. The story ends with the sentence, But actually it was–wouldn't you agree? The German wordschadenfreudeand the definition (a malicious delight in the bad luck of others) appear on the final spread. The jagged, flat, cartoon illustrations, done in a retro palette (burnt orange, tawny red, matte gray), add comedic effect, as do the scattered text and varied lettering, but the quirky humor (such as the exclamation, Holy emmenthal!) and mature undertones will be lost on the younger crowd.–DeAnn Tabuchi, San Anselmo Public Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.