THE FANTASTIC 5 & 10¢ STORE

When sun, rain and snowflakes collide, a strange store suddenly rises up at the end of Pumpkin Street. Benny Penny is the only one brave enough to walk through the door. Inside, he finds a fantastical adventure. Written in verse comparable only to Lewis Carroll, toasters fly, ketchup dances and the cup gets a little saucy with the saucer. The winsome pinnacle of bizarre is the Pot and Teapot race. Other objects—and readers, too—cheer them on. But what makes this tomfoolery even more appealing is that it is also in rebus form. The rebus verses set off one side of the spread, and Fisher’s layered, diorama-style scenes envelop the other. Old clippings from five-and-dimes serve as wallpaper, and every label, on every item, is painstakingly detailed. While not ideal for just-emergent readers, those a little more advanced will likely embrace the game. A rebus poem by its very nature begs to be reread, but with ebullient wordplay and a nostalgic tug at the (admittedly adult) heart, this one will be especially hard to let go. (complete poem at end) (Picture book. 4-9)