Buzz - KPAO

This is a great book. The girls are at school and I find myself wanting to read it again. Greta and I read it last night before bed. We read most nights... sometimes she reads a book to me but she much prefers to be read to and snuggled with at the same time.

I loved her response from this tale. She said in a small voice "I don't like books like these." I asked her the next question "Like what, Greta?" Her reply "Books that teach you something." Now, before you get a solid opinion about how stinky that sounds let me explain...

Greta has discovered the power of lying. Lying can get you out of a lot of trouble... if you aren't caught lying as well as being naughty. And, a lie is very hard to prove if the adult (or big sister) wasn't there to be a witness. She also knows that the big sister witness can be proven unreliable if she too is involved in the naughtiness. Fortunately, Greta hasn't fine tuned the art of lying. She is persistent... she will stick to her lie, even if it changes a few times.

This book as an African tale that shows how a lie can lead to big problems that can involve many people. Sorta like the Rumor Weed (for those Veggie Tale fans). I believe that this book spoke so clearly to Greta was because, in the book, a baby owlet is killed. Harsh? Absolutely. Effective? Most definitely. If you bring a baby of any kind of animal into a story, Greta is hooked.

It also spoke to Greta because the bad guy, or liar, is a mosquito. We all know what happens to mosquitoes when they buzz around us... KPAO. Gotta love it.

As a reader, you can also point out other life lessons, such as what can happen when people jump to conclusions. I think I'll read it to her a few more times.