Sonderbooks Book Review of

The Scrambled States of America Talent Show

by Laurie Keller

A picture book about the States performing in a talent show? In her earlier book, Laurie Keller showed what happened when the States got mixed up and tried to find their places again. The States had so much fun interacting, they decide to hold a talent show.

The result is simply silly, and I can't resist laughing over it. Along the way, all kinds of facts about the states are presented, along with lots of inside jokes.

The acts are many and varied. Delaware names all fifty states in order of statehood while jumping on a pogo stick. Michigan does a ventriloquist act. Minnesota saws South Dakota in half (though alert readers will detect that the left half is the color of North Dakota), and Mississippi and Nevada dance the tango. I especially enjoyed the State Impersonators. Wyoming and Tennessee impersonated Oklahoma, and Colorado and Florida did a great Idaho impression.

Extra fun was found on the end panels, where Vermont goes around asking states their abbreviations, for example:

What can I say? This book struck me funny. A nice silly approach to learning facts about the states.