Back in my younger days, I had a thing for the Tin Tin series of comics on my shelf. They were in French. I didn’t speak French. It didn’t matter. The illustrations allowed me to create my own story in my head.
That’s just what I was reminded of when I got a copy of Phooey! by the wonderful author/illustrator Marc Rosenthal. It’s a simple story about a kid complaining about how "nothing ever happens around here," when all the while–you guessed it–crazy things are happening.
It doesn’t matter if your kid can yet read the Batman-esque sounds of a cop careening into an escaped zoo elephant (SHMEK) or a pie hitting the face of a pirate (PLOINK). My daughter is two and it seems that the absolutely delightful illustrations are all that’s needed to bring the Marx Brother style antics to life for her.
Like Harpo, all I have to do at bedtime is turn the pages. I like that. –Liz
