Product Description

Something peculiar is going on in the village of Mud Flat today. Mr. Duffy has disappeared in a puff of green smoke, and Brian woke up with his head on backward. Doris is greeted by a singing tree, and poor Lila sniffs a rose that promptly squirts in hereye. What is this strange brand of spring fever? James Stevenson provides the happy answer in another hilarious visit with the lovable residents of Mud Flat.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1829978 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-23
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2?Squirting flowers? Flying dollar bills? Singing trees? It's April Fool's Day in Mud Flat, and everyone is trying to trick everyone else. There are some silly pranks and some inspired ones. Some work and others fall flat, but all of the gags are sure to tickle children's funny bones and give teachers an opening for discussing what is fun and what is not. What Stevenson's The Night After Christmas (Morrow, 1981) does for the after-Christmas blahs, and Un-Happy New Year, Emma! (Greenwillow, 1989; o.p.) does for New Year's Day, this latest Mud Flat adventure does for April Fool's Day. The author cleverly introduces the calendar event through a series of humorous vignettes starring his familiar woodland creatures. The engaging watercolor cartoons are appealing, but quite small, and are best suited to one-on-one sharing. The easy vocabulary and short chapters also make this a good choice for children ready to move beyond beginning readers.?Marty Abbott Goodman, L.J. Bell Elementary School, Rockingham, NC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 1^-3. Stevenson is in good form in this chapter-book roundup of 10 wry, sweet stories that adds yet another page to the Mud Flat holiday calendar. The April Fools' Day jokes fly fast and furiously here, with most backfiring in some goofy way on the animal joke players. Stevenson's watercolor and pen-and-ink artwork catches the comedy beautifully, and his use of dialogue rather than narrative to convey the goings-on makes the reading easier. Great for new readers as well as the Mud Flat animals' legions of fans. Stephanie Zvirin

From Kirkus Reviews
April Fools' Day brings out the joker in Mud Flat's animal residents: George the fox breaks out his squirting lapel rose, Newt the gator tries the old dollar-on-a-string trick, a mole produces a note that she claims was left by space aliens. When young Matt and Zack congratulate themselves on seeing through crusty old Mrs. Beekley's party invitation, the joke's on themthe invitation was real, and they almost miss the party. The deadpan figures in Stevenson's splashy watercolor vignettes add to the fun; none of the pranks are harmful or mean, and often the would-be victims efficiently turn the tables. Tongue-in-cheek humor, delivered in deft and funny chapters. (Fiction. 6-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Totally Funny Reading
I read this book to a group of children and we were rolling in the aisles. This is an execellent book.