THE TUSHY BOOK
by Fran Manushkin and illustrated by Tracy Dockray
Using bouncy rhyme, Manushkin pays tribute to the virtues of the tush. Both animals and humans have them. Even the king and queen have tushies. Some are firm and some are droopy. It’s a fun word to say, but it also cushions you during a fall. It’s a place to put your underwear and something to somersault over your head. Dockray’s colorful line drawings illustrate with realism and humor all the activities of the tushy, from sledding to skating to dancing. The artist’s use of white space leaves the pages uncluttered, letting the detail shine through. As the author states, we all have tushies, but readers will also all have smiles after finishing this book. Having finished it once, however, they’re unlikely to pick it up again; as one-joke butt books go, this pales in comparison to such derriere-licious treatments as Chicken Cheeks, by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (2009). (Picture book. 2-5)