Fleas!
Grade 1–3—Farmer Quantz encounters a dog in his vegetable garden and gives him a good rub behind the ears. When the pup bounds off, Quantz finds he has been left with a fine case of fleas and begins to itch wildly. Running down the road, he meets a woman with an uncle who will not stop talking, and they trade burdens. Off Quantz goes with the garrulous uncle until he meets a man carrying a huge chuck of Limburger cheese. Eager to get out from under his load, he accepts Quantz's offer of an exchange. And so it goes until the story comes full circle and Quantz ends up with the dog that, by this time, is sans fleas. Peppered with wonderful language, this noodle-head story makes for a lively and fun read-aloud. The mixed-media cartoon spreads, featuring elongated figures in exaggerated poses, perfectly match the comic tone of the tale.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.