Vintage anyone?

Vintage is good.  I always review new books here but today decided to have a flashback and highlight an older book that I think your kids will really love.  I will from time to time chose to do this so I can bring  the "best of" vintage books to you.

I love this book and want to pass it on to you today.  The title is:  "The King Who Rained."   The author is: Fred Gwynne.  Who is this author?

Gwynne was known for his acting ability and for his roles in 1960's sitcoms "Car 54 Where Are You?" and "The Munsters", as well as his later roles in "Pet Sematary"," Cotton Club" and "My cousin Vinney."  (Wikipedia)

He was born July 10, 1926 in New York City.  He died on July 2, 1993 in Taneytown.  He also is noted for being an author and illustrator of children's books.  Some of his books include, "The King Who Rained" and "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner," and "A Little Pigeon Toad."

About the book:

This fun book is full of homonyms and idioms.  What the heck are those you may ask?  A homonym is a term used for words that sound alike but have different meanings.  The English language is rich in homonyms. Gwynne is both the author and the illustrator of this quirky tale.  A little girl explains all the weird ways she interprets words when her family says, "Daddy says he has a mole on his nose."  What the little girl imagines is not a skin malady but a small furry mammal hanging off of his nose.  Gwynne also managed to do a self-portrait of this particular part of the story and it is hilarious.  The visual puns will tickle the fancy of all ages and are very clever and witty.  The wordplays throughout are fabulous.   On each page is revealed a play on words accompanied by large, colourful illustratons. Some examples are:  A King who rained for forty years?  A coat of arms?  Boars coming to dinner?  and The foot Prince in the snow, just to site a few.  Your kids will be giggling out loud.   This book is suitable for ages 4-8.  Try to find other homonyms in your daily life that you can point out to your kids.  They are all around you and will make your language so much more fun.

Book Review rating:   7 (couldn't put it down)

Read on and read always!  Have a great day!