Book: I Didn't Do My Homework Because ...
Authors: Davide Cali & Benjamin Chaud
Pages: 44
Age Range: 6-9
"An airplane full of monkeys landed in our yard"; and
"Some escaped convicts from the local jail hid in my bedroom and wouldn't come out."
Each excuse is accompanied by a humorous illustration. In the prior example, we see the boy surrounded by much larger prisoners in yellow-striped outfits. The boy is brining them pink lemonade, and they are looking at his books. Because why not?
This is a small format book, about the size of an early reader. It's more like a picture book in format otherwise, though the target age range is probably solidly in elementary school. Preschoolers don't generally have much homework, after all. Nor are they likely to know what "carnivorous plants" are. There's a humorous ending in which the teacher doesn't believe the boy, because she has the same book. For me, this was just enough to make it feel a bit like a story, rather than solely a collection of excuses. The illustrations are full of detail, and include boy-friendly tidbits like giant lizards.
Instructions on the back of the book read:
"WHEN TO USE THIS BOOK:
Whenever you haven't finished your homework.
CAUTION:
Each excuse may only be used once."
Like the excuses, I'm not sure how well this book will hold up to multiple reads. But it's definitely fun, and sure to make elementary school kids laugh. Recommended for classroom libraries, or any seven-year-old with an overactive imagination.
Publisher: Chronicle Books (@ChronicleKids)
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
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