Brief Thief for Picture Book Friday

I have a good one this week!  I know, I say that every week .... but can you blame me?  The first half of the year was a little dry in the picture book department, but I think those publishers were saving all the good stuff for now.  After reading this book, my son said, "Mom you pick out the best books."  which makes me sure I have a winner.  Ok, I didn't have much doubt with this one, but it's always nice to hear.

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Title:       Brief Thief

Author:   Michael Escoffier

Target:    Preschool - Grade 2

What this book is about:
Leon, the lizard has had a busy morning and now he must go poo.  Much to his chagrin, he is out of paper, but an old forgotten pair of underpants full of holes, hanging from a tree, should do the trick.  However when his conscience (a voice from above) begins to speak to him he realizes that maybe he should not have used other peoples things without asking and scrubs them clean.  As it turns out “his conscience” is the owner of the underpants, but is that what they really are?

Why I love this book:
Oh let me count the ways.  First off, I love a good underwear book just about as much as the next kid, but once it crosses the line into gross humor, I’m done.  This book stays well on the clean side with such a clever use of conscience and site gags that you can’t help but laugh out loud.

I mean it, this book is funny in a very smart way.  Perhaps because it was originally written in french, it feels a little more sophisticated.  The illustrations by Kris Di Giacomo are perfect and the page where bunny is using his underpants “correctly” is priceless.  It needs no words and delivers the punchline beautifully.

I also like the little bit of learning kids get about making things right and listening to their inner voice.

Who this book is for:
I can’t imagine a kid not having a great time with this story!

Final thoughts:
I will be brief - go get this book!

To order this book, click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Brief Thief  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.