That's Good, That's Bad! by Joan Lexau, illustrated by Aliki

I borrowed this early version of the popular sequential consequences story through inter-library loan. It is hilarious! Also delightful and still fresh and new.

A hungry tiger meets a little boy and tells him to run, since he is going to eat him! "I have no run left in me" declares the boy, and tells the tiger a lengthy story of how he has been running all day, trying to escape from a rhino. The tiger responds, "that's good!" or "that's bad" to each twist and turn in the story until....well, I won't tell you how the clever boy ends the story and escapes the tiger AND the rhino. The illustrations are bright and I love the way Aliki separated the different threads of the story and keeps the main characters viewing the action at the sides. As far as I can tell, this book is out of print, which is a real shame.

Verdict: I tested it on my preschool visits last week and the kids loved it, sitting in breathless anticipation through each flip of the plot. Maybe I can find a used copy somewhere....

ISBN: N/A; Published 1963 by Dial (out of print); Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist