17 Things I’m Not Allowed to do Anymore
Dragonfly Books/Random House
Age 3-5
32 pages
by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Synopsis from Random House:
A laugh-out-loud look at all the fun things grown-ups never let you do . . . now in paperback! Jenny Offill, author of 11 Experiments That Failed, describes how tough it is to be a kid, when even the (seemingly) best ideas are met with resistance. The text is short, spare, and fall-on-the-floor funny—not to mention utterly child-friendly. Here, accompanied by Nancy Carpenter’s hilariously clever illustrations, is a day-in-the-life look at a kid as she torments her brother, her pet, her classmates, and, of course, her mother. The theme of this Dragonfly Book is Just for Fun.
I’m always amazed at the crazy ideas my kids come up with; ideas they think are brilliant and set out to try. The girl in 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to do Anymore reminds me of my kids and probably everyone’s kids at this age. Freezing a fly in ice to give your brother. Pretending to be deaf. I think that’s what makes this book so fun to read; kids and parents can relate to it.
I love the flow of the book too, starting off with a great idea, like stapling her brother’s head to the pillow, followed by mom squashing the idea: I’m not allowed to use the stapler anymore. My 4 and 6 year old loved this book. We laughed at the ideas, talked about crazy ideas we each have thought of and discussed why maybe some of those ideas aren’t so great.
For a good laugh, you can add 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to do Anymore to your personal library by visiting your local book store or visiting Random House. Visit our Kid’s Books section for other great book recommendations. What are you reading with your kids?
I have to thank Cassandra at Random House for my review copy.