Timothy Tunny Swallowed a Bunny by Bill Grossman

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2000.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 1-4046-4732-5.

A hilarious collection of six-line poems featuring a succession of strange characters in even stranger predicaments. Each offering ends with an ironic slapstick twist echoed or explained by the boldly humorous illustrations, as in the following with a woman pictured seated in a rowboat in the middle of a desert.

The Woman in Town
"There's a woman in town
Who's afraid that she'll drown
If ever her nose should get wet.
So she wears on her snoot
A small scuba suit.
And it works--she hasn't drowned yet."

Easy to memorize individually for use as a quick filler during a program, or in selected groups.

The rhyming text promotes phonological awareness, while vocabulary is strengthened with some less familiar words understood in context.

My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Crown Books for Young Readers, New York, 1996.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-0517596005.

     Before a horrified audience, little sister proceeds to devour a succession of hilarious and disgusting creatures. Her unseen sibling acts as narrator chanting a progressively repetitive counting rhyme. "We thought she'd throw up then and there. / But she didn't." The explosion comes when little sister innocuously eats ten peas. Hawkes creates alarming facial expressions, highlighting the "ick" factor for 3-4 year olds and beyond. Younger children may be slightly disturbed by the dark, scary setting, and unable to fully appreciate the humor.

     A terrifically funny read-aloud for dramatically enhancing counting skills. Kids love to fill in the rhyming words at the end of each section. Also helpful individually pointing and counting out the edible objects with a single child.

1998 - Virginia Young Readers Program Award

1999 - South Dakota Prairie Pasque Award
1999 - Indiana Young Hoosier Award