That's Good! That's Bad! by Margery Cuyler, David Catrow (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

A little boy has a series of adventures and misadventures with a bunch of wild animals.

Publishers Weekly

At the zoo a boy is lifted into the sky by his balloon. ``Oh, that's good. No, that's bad! ''--because the balloon pops when it hits a tree deep in the jungle. ``Oh, that's bad. No, that's good! ''--because the wide-eyed lad falls into a river and climbs onto a hippo, who takes him to shore. Thus incidents that appear to be positive turn out to be negative (and vice-versa) as the child confronts an extremely colorful bevy of animals, including baboons who chase him up a tree, a hissing snake whom he mistakes for a vine, a kindly elephant who pulls him out of quicksand and a stork who flies him back to the zoo, into the arms of his parents. Cuyler's ( Fat Santa ) fanciful tale is energized by exclamations (``WHEEEE!''; ``WHOOPS!''; ``GLUG! GLUG!'') that beg to be read aloud. Catrow's witty cartoons paint the jungle in a humorous light and hilariously depict the boy's alternating terror and relief. And that's good ! Ages 4-7. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2A cheerful calypso beat by Chris Kubie introduces this recording of Margery Cuyler's That's Good! That's Bad (Holt, 1991). A pleasant male voice reads the story of a boy's zoo adventures slowly and clearly, as a chorus of expressive children's voices chant the refrain, "That's good" or "That's bad." Having children interact with the reader on the tape is excellent, emphasizing the participatory nature of the tale. Children reading along in the book will have no trouble following the story and will enjoy the lively pictures by David Catrow. One side of the cassette includes page turn signals (the sound of a turning page). This is a very nice resource for learning centers and beginning readers. It might even encourage young writers to try their hand at this type of story.-Elizabeth C. Fiene, Clermont County Public Library, Bethel, OH

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