I Yam a Donkey!

Starred review from April 13, 2015
Newbery Honoree Bell (El Deafo)
creates a laugh-out-loud dialogue in the
tradition of “Who’s on First?” or Lane Smith’s It’s a Book. “I yam a donkey!” a googly-eyed donkey proclaims. A bespectacled yam objects. “What did you say? ‘I yam a donkey?’ The proper way to say that is ‘I am a donkey.’ ” “You is a donkey, too?” the donkey asks. “You is a funny-looking donkey.” The yam tries to educate the donkey, while the donkey demonstrates only hopeless thickheadedness. The appearance of a carrot, a turnip, and some green beans allows the yam to review conjugations of the verb “to be.” The donkey, however, spies a meal. “Oh!” he cries, finally getting it. “You is lunch!” In a linguistic landscape where literally can mean figuratively and flammable and inflammable are interchangeable, Bell’s story celebrates the idea that language changes, and pedants who can’t adapt will be left in the dust (or in a donkey’s belly). The ending sends a message that any child can endorse: “If you is going to be eaten, good grammar don’t matter.” Ages 4–8. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

April 1, 2015
A stern yam corrects a grammatically challenged donkey. Beginning a muddled and maddening who's-on-first routine, with enough back and forth to make youngsters' heads spin, a donkey proudly proclaims, "I yam a donkey!" However, a nearby yam disagrees. "The proper way to say that," it admonishes, "is 'I am a donkey.' " To which the donkey incredulously replies, "You is a donkey, too?" The poor, foolish donkey never quite figures out which form of "to be" to use, and the small, bespectacled yam grows increasingly frustrated. When a cluster of vegetables-green beans, a turnip, and a carrot-comes along (and introduces new pronouns), the donkey has a grand realization. Sadly, it's not about grammar but about...lunch! The moral, as Bell explicitly states in the end, is: "If you is going to be eaten, good grammar don't matter." Parents, teachers, and librarians may cringe. Kids not yet literate enough to recognize the visual difference between "yam" and "I am" will likely be too confused to care. The homophonic nuance is not a familiar language problem (unless you are Popeye), so many readers will not get the chance to rise above and see any humor-in either correcting the donkey or being invested in the joke. This attempt to bring levity to an already-difficult grammar task for children just tangles the situation further. (Picture book. 5-8)

May 1, 2015

Gr 1-3-The cartoon illustrations of Bell's stab at eliminating a grammatical error are more engaging than her text, and it is probable that the intended audience will not grasp the lesson she's put forward. A donkey states, "I yam a donkey!" and a yam protests the improper use of the word yam. In the ensuing conversation, the donkey repeatedly uses yam when he should be saying am and the tuber becomes increasingly perturbed. Bell's drawings, done in china marker and acrylic, are lively and convey emotion through her judicious use of line, but the grammatical issue is less common now than in Popeye's heyday, and the joke goes on so long that it becomes tiresome. VERDICT Despite its inviting illustrations, this book misses the mark.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015
Preschool-G A bespectacled yam and a donkey engage in a protracted Who's on First? discourse about grammar and identity until, well, it doesn't end wellfor the yam. Our officious yam means to teach the donkey a lesson about pronunciation ( The proper way to say that is, I am a Donkey' ), while the donkey, not the sharpest tool in the barnyard, almost willfully misunderstands, again and again ( You is a funny-looking donkey ). Eventually, a group of rubbernecking vegetables gets drawn into the argument. The yam conjugates them, by way of example, and the donkey has an epiphany: OH! You is LUNCH! The moral of the story? Some things are more important than others ( If you is going to be eaten, good grammar don't matter ). Bell's flat, jocular illustrations, with their heavy outlines and hand-drawn word balloons, fill the frames. Occasional panels structure the story's progress, but most of it happens across bright, simple two-page spreads. This irreverent, animated outing fairly begs to be read aloud, and children will demand repeat readings.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)