THE NIGHT BEFORE COLLEGE by Sonya Sones and Ava Tramer. Grosset and Dunlap, 2014.

College tours, dorm rooms, admissions essays: all of the hoopla associated with college is here in a jaunty rhyme.

Bunny, very bunny

BATTLE BUNNY by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett with illustrations by Matthew Myers. Simon & Schuster, 2013.

Parody and satire are high forms of humor, and BATTLE BUNNY is one of the best full out parodies I have seen. Basically, Scieszka and Barnett created a vapid book about a special birthday bunny a la Golden Book fame. Then, the book was decimated with many additions transforming a rather dull book for an action packed book with murderous bunny. Be sure to visit this site: http://mybirthdaybunny.com/ where you can create you own Battle Bunny book.

Pushing the Envelope

ANN AND NN ARE ANAGRAMS by Mark Shuman and Adam McCauley. Chronicle, 2013.

More than 100 anagrams present readers with puzzles to solve as they enjoy the story of Robert (or Bert) tries to solve all the problems posed by his rather unusual family.

LITTLE READ WRITING by Joan Holub with illustrations by Melissa Sweet. Chronicle, 2013.


Join Little Red as she and the other pencils head to school. Her teacher, Ms. 2, wants all of her students to learn about the craft of writing a story. As Little Red begins her story, there are many twists and turns along the path. This book combines writerly advice with a lovely variant of the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

Parody at its best

BATTLE BUNNY by Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett with illustrations by Matthew Myers. Simon and Schuster, 2013.

Pushing the envelop is nothing new to Scieszka and Barnett, but they have upped the ante considerably with this collaboration. Imagine the most vapid children's book ever published. Now, imagine what would happen if two wisecrackers attacked text and illustrations to pump up the volume so to speak. Voila! Here is BATTLE BUNNY, formerly known as BIRTHDAY BUNNY. Take a look inside to see what Scieszka and Barnett and Myers created and then deconstructed. Funny, profane, and perfect, BATTLE BUNNY demonstrates that there is still more territory to explore in children's books.

Clip, Clop!

THE THREE TRICERATOPS TUFF by Stephen Shaskan. Beach Lane, 2013.

This parody of The Three Billy Goats Gruff should appeal to all those dinosaur lovers in your class. They clip clop down into a valley where they encounter a T-rex. How the three triceratops get the better of the T-rex is perfect. This might become a mentor text for older readers and also an introduction to the traditional tale for those who have not yet encountered it.

Parody

FRANKENSTEIN: A MONSTROUS PARODY by Ludworst Bemonster (Feiwel and Friends, July 2012) pairs the two most unlikely stories in a mash-up: Frankenstein and Madeleine by Ludwig Bemelmans. Even the sticker you can see on the cover says: A CaldeNOT Horror Book. Older readers who know what is being parodied will love the story of twelve ugly monsters who live together in an old castle covered in spines. They wet their beds and bonk their heads and pull their teeth over the dinner table. And then one of the monsters' heads go missing. Perfect skewer, perfect parody. <80>