RRRALPH

RRRALPH

by Lois Ehlert

Beach Lane Books, 2011

Lois Ehlert has some great books for storytime - I use Waiting for Wings with butterflies, Leaf Man in the fall, and Feathers for Lunch for either a cat or a bird theme. She never disappoints, but I think RRRALPH is my new favorite.

An unnamed and unseen narrator tells us on the first page that his dog can talk. His dog, seen on the opposite page, is adorably and cleverly made of black and white textured papers with a pull tab nose and zipper mouth.

When his family first brought the dog home, our narrator asked the dog what is name was, and the dog stood up and said, "RRRALPH RALPH." Go ahead - take a minute and practice saying that in your best dog voice. It sounds like a dog, doesn't it?

What follows is a series of questions (each with a sentence or two for an introduction) asked by our narrator and answered by Ralph. My favorite is when Ralph's person asks what is on the tree, but all are so funny. The book reads like a kid telling a series of jokes, and in fact, the authors' note at the end mentions that the book was inspired by jokes her brother told to his grandchildren.

My library just got this in, and I can't wait to try it out in storytime. It's sure to be a hit.

Reviewed from library copy