SLAM!: A Tale of Consequences

Gr 1–3—A door slams, and the story begins. Headphones securely attached, paper in hand, and totally oblivious to the perfect contagion of events happening in his wake, a youngster heads down the hill with his dog to the candy store. On the unconventional title page, a ball breaks away from its perch on the roof; on the following spreads, a cat leaps, a skateboard zooms, a truck screeches to a stop, and sea creatures fly. Workers awaken a sleeping dragon below the sidewalk, aliens fall as rockets and kites soar above, a circus bus and an ice-cream truck collide with a cacophony of onomatopoeia, highlighting each moment in the action. The boy comes out of the store, finally looks around at the mess, and wonders, "Who did that?" Each page is a busy place, an explosion of detailed pen-and-ink drawings from various perspectives and cartoon humor, with a story starter at each page turn. Follow the bouncing red ball, from the top of the hill to the subterranean depths at its bottom: a perfect example of illustrated cause and effect. This title has multiple uses for language arts curriculum tied to a fantasy-based plot. A first purchase.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX