Lazy Ozzie
Michael Coleman, Gwyneth Williamson
Hardcover
(Baby's First Book Club, March 15, 2002)
This is one of my favorite preschool story time books. It seems like a cute little story about an owl, but at closer analysis it is packed with tons of info and lessons that are right on target for the preschool set. First we learn what "lazy" behavior looks like, then the important lesson of what is an emergency (and what is NOT an emergency). Ozzie tricks all of his farm animal friends into helping him avoid his mother's request to learn to fly. In the process, we learn about seriation in farm animal size (high horse, not quite so high cow, etc.), animal habitat (sty, pasture, duck pond), rhyming (big pig), alliteration (short sheepdog, dinky duck!), peer relations, and honesty. Kudos to the author for fitting all of that into one story. An extra plus for lap-reading-- mother owl is hiding on every page to watch what Ozzie is doing. It's fun to find her! I'd give this 10 stars if I could.
J