Creepy Carrots

Title: Creepy Carrots

Author: Aaron Reynolds

Illustrator:  Peter Brown

Publishing company:  Simon and Schuster

Copyright date: 2012

Number of pages:  36
Genre: Fantasy

     I chose this book because my son wanted me to buy it for him.  We read this book together and it was very funny.  The carrots in this story are very clever.  It is all about how they trick the rabbit into being afraid of them.  The rabbit used to spend his days picking and eating the carrots.  That is, until they come up with a plan to stop him.  The carrots start to haunt and stalk the rabbit.  At first, he thinks he must be crazy, but then he is convinced that they are out to get him.  Then he devises a plan to protect himself from the creepy carrots.

      The illustrations in this book are done in pencil on paper.  They are then digitally composited and colored for effect.  The artist uses a lot of dark colors to make this story seem creepy.  The only things not black and white are the carrots.  The text type for this story is informal.  The words are used to draw the reader’s attention to the placement of the carrots on the page.  The pictures are beautifully designed and have the feel of texture to them.  The illustrator did a wonderful job of making the pictures

creepy and inviting.

      I would recommend this book for children in kindergarten through the second grade.  That does not mean that older children would not benefit from this story; readers of any age could enjoy the comical twist on a bunny eating a carrot.  In the classroom, I would use this book to talk about real and imaginary.  I might use it for younger students in teaching about character development.  This story could be used in math to count the carrots and make predictions.  It could be used in science to talk about building or growing things.  This book has a Caldecott Honor Award.