Up, Up, Down. Robert Munsch. Illustrated by Michael Martchenko. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2001. 32 pp., pbk., $7.99. ISBN 978-0-439-98815-5. Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 3-8. Review by Claire Perrin. **** /4

excerpt:

Anna decided to go outside where it was okay to climb and the biggest thing she could find to climb was... The Tree. Anna went up, up, up, up, up....Fallll down. And landed right on her bottom. “OW, OUCH! OW OUCH! OW OUCH!” But the next time she was very careful. She went up, up, up, up, up, up...all the way to the top of the tree. And then Anna yelled, “I’m the king of the castle, Mommy’s a dirty rascal!”

Up, Up, Down is the story of an adventurous young girl who loves to climb. Her parents are always telling her to be careful and not to climb, especially on the furniture. When Anna climbs the biggest tree around, her parents are even more worried and anxious for her to come down. Unfortunately, both parents fall from the tree while trying to rescue her. Both parents hurt themselves and have to be bandaged by their children with ten enormous Band-Aids. Anna gets the last word in the story as she scolds them:”Be CAREFUL – don’t CLIMB!”

      The storyline is simple but entertaining, with plenty of sound effects and repetition. Children can join in several times with the climbing and falling sequence. Each time someone climbs, the words appear to be climbing up the page and then falling, signalling children to read along.

      Michael Martchenko’s illustrations give readers lots to look at. The facial expressions help convey what each character is feeling throughout the story. Many animals appear in the illustrations, often doing unusual activities. The pictures of mom and dad falling from the tree are particularly hilarious.

      Up, Up, Down is a lighthearted, feel-good story in which children can enjoy the idea of being stronger and better than adults.

Highly Recommended.

Claire Perrin is an elementary teacher-librarian with the Toronto District School Board.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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