One Odd Day

December 1, 2006
K-Gr 2-One morning, a boy awakens to find that everything is literally odd. The numbers on his clock read 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11; his shirt has three sleeves and his dog has five legs. There are many other strange things for readers to spot on each page, and not just numbers. On one spread, the boys mom is wearing a fire hat and a tutu, and there is a banana tree with a toucan and snake by the front door. Rhyming text flows smoothly, I bounced on polka dot/bus number NINE, /thinking my class in/school would look fine. However, when the boy arrives at school, things are just as strange. In math class, the teacher explains that even numbers are found between odd, and the boy is relieved to know that things might get back to normal. The next morning, the dog has four legs, and both his shoes are there. But then the boy realizes that his bedroom has six doors and his mom has two heads. The colorful, busy spreads have child appeal, and independent readers can pore over the pages, trying to spot all the out-of-the-ordinary things. While not a first purchase, this odd addition might be fun for some collections."DeAnn Okamura, San Mateo County Library, CA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.