Terry Miller Shannon

Mrs. Biddlebox

By Linda Smith, illustrated by Marla Frazee

Have you ever had one of those days? You wake up grumpy, the sky is dark, those twittering birds are driving you crazy . . .and it all goes downhill from there. Well, now you can take a cue from the endearingly witchy-looking Mrs. B, who bakes her rotten morning into a lovely cake. Her day, from funk to bunk, is spun in jaunty verse. I loved this story from the start; to my delight, so do my grandchildren.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

By Judith Viorst, Illustrated by Ray Cruz

Speaking of bad days, consider Alexander's. His litany of troubles start when he wakes up with gum in his hair, trips on his skateboard, and continues right up to bedtime when the cat won't sleep with him. When I read this book to my young sons long ago, they laughed and related to Alexander's wry woeful voice. Today, their children love it just as much as their dads did.

Officer Buckle and Gloria

By Peggy Rathman

Officer Buckle gives such boring safety presentations at schools that the kids doze--until he teams up with Gloria, the police dog. Gloria's hilarious pantomimes, unknown to her human partner, save the day. But when Officer Buckle realizes that she's stealing the show, their friendship is imperiled (but not for long, of course). Rathman's vibrant illustrations won the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1996.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

By Jon Scieszka and "A. Wolf", illustrated by Lane Smith

Alexander T. Wolf tells his side of the story, writing from the pig penitentiary he landed in after the infamous porcine trio incident. That wolf is just so misunderstood! After all, he had a bad head cold, and that's what all that huffing and puffing was about. In actual fact, Mr. Wolf informs us, he was trying to borrow sugar to make his grandma a cake. But the pigs built such flimsy houses that it appeared he blew them down. Quirky illustrations set the perfect tone for this outlandish spoof.

About the Author

Terry Miller Shannon and her son, Tim Warner, wrote a funny, rhyming picture book. Tim's three-year-old bath-loving son inspired TUB TOYS (Tricycle Press, 2002), which MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW says is "..greatly recommended..whimsical and fun." Check it out HERE!