What If Everybody Did That?

by Ellen Javernick, Colleen Madden (Illustrator)

Overview

If you drop just one soda can out the window, it’s no big deal…right? But what if everybody did that? What if everybody broke the rules…and spoke during story time, didn’t wash up, or splashed too much at the pool? Then the world would be a mess. But what if everybody obeyed the rules so that the world would become a better place? Using humorous illustrations rendered in mixed media, these questions are answered in a child-friendly way and show the consequences of thoughtless behavior.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761456865
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	03/01/2010
Series:	Pinwheel Bks.
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	8,711
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD450L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 2—An unnamed boy is forced to consider the consequences of his actions in this cautionary tale about making responsible choices. The narrator commits a series of seemingly minor offenses, such as feeding popcorn to the bears in the zoo, throwing an empty soda can out the car window, sneaking a lick of frosting from a wedding cake, and interrupting the librarian during storytime. Each time, an angry adult admonishes him by asking, "What if everybody did that?" causing him to envision the possible outcomes: sick animals, garbage strewn along the highway, a ruined cake, and chaos at the library. Each spread depicts a different episode. The art on the verso shows the boy committing a thoughtless act, and the recto pictures show what could happen if everyone broke the rules. Madden's experience as a greeting-card illustrator is evident in the variety of expressions shown on the faces of the multicultural cast in the colorful mixed-media drawings. This title could be a useful purchase for libraries looking to add to their collections of character-building books.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

School Library Journal

Think before you act, little one. Javernick presents a series of small infractions, 13 in all, committed by a clueless little boy. These include feeding the bears at the zoo, standing up on the school bus, rushing onto a football field to get a player's autograph, littering from a moving car, shooting a straw wrapper into the air at a restaurant, interrupting the librarian during storytime to ask a question, throwing his coat on the floor at school, etc. Each incident ends with a humorless, scolding adult pointedly asking, "What if everybody did that?" Madden's mixed-media illustrations are colorful and detailed, devoting one spread to each faux pas. The left-hand page depicts the little boy caught in flagrante by a scowling adult; the right-hand page depicts his imagining the consequences of "everybody doing that." This head-on approach may not be to all tastes. The chastising adults look frighteningly imposing, and, though at book's end the little boy's positive act (a loving hug) is amply rewarded, there's no indication of lessons learned. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

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