Never Tease a Weasel (Picture Book)
PreSchool-Grade 3—Soule's 1964 picture book has been reissued with new illustrations by a New Yorker cartoonist, and the result is a marvelous meld of text and art. The "be kind to animals" lesson is crafted in such slyly humorous terms that it's sure to win universal acceptance, even as it's met with giggles and grins. As a boy and girl tease a weasel in a variety of ways, Soule suggests other ways to makes friends with animals, such as making a goat a coat or giving a mule "a pool/And some jaunty swimming trunks." The animals look appropriately awkward and uncomfortable with these "kindnesses." As Soule observes: "You can knit a kitten mittens,/And perhaps that cat would purr," Booth draws a wide-eyed feline gazing warily from a safe distance at a pair of clunky, oversize mittens. In the end, the children and weasel snuggle on a couch, since: "It's more fun to please a weasel/and be friends with him instead." Soule's zany suggestions beg to be read aloud, and Booth's line drawings with bright daubs of color perfectly capture the lighthearted goings-on. Reminiscent of Judi Barrett'sAnimals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing(S & S, 1970), this charmer's inspired silliness will win a wide audience.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.