The Boy Who Cried NinjaReview posted December 15, 2012.
Peachtree Publishers, 2011. 32 pages.
Starred Review
2012 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #8 Picture Books
This book simply makes me laugh. You've all heard the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf? Well, what would happen if a boy saw all kinds of bizarre creatures doing bad things, but no one believed him?
That's what happens to Tim.
When his mom asked him what happened to the last slice of cake, he told her the truth.
"It was a ninja," cried Tim.
First the ninja crept into the house
. . . then he kicked it into the air
and ate it in one bite.
Next, an astronaut steals his dad's hammer and a giant squid eats his whole book bag.
But Tim is not believed! (Oh the outrage!) In fact, he's told to go rake up leaves in the yard and think about what he's done. He decides to change his ways.
So when a pirate, a sunburned crocodile, and a time-traveling monkey come to Tim's house and do bad things, Tim says it was him.
He still gets in trouble!
What's a boy to do?
Tim comes up with an ingenious solution. This solution shows his parents the truth, teaches the strangers to behave, and gets them all the best party ever.
The pictures are just right for this tall tale of a story. This book is delightfully silly, wonderfully imaginative, and provides plenty to discuss. And it doesn't hurt to have a totally fun reason to talk about telling the truth.