A Deal's a Deal!

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Overview

The perfect picture book for parents in search of a modern day take on Russell Hoban's A Bargain for Frances combined with the kid-friendly graphic style of Mo Willem's Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

When Simon the Super Rabbit takes his cars over to his friend Ferdinand's to play, the two little rabbits decide to make a trade—all three of Simon's cars for Ferdinand's "extraordinary" red car. But as soon as Simon plays with his new toy, CRACK! it breaks! Did Ferdinand play ...

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More About This Book

Overview

The perfect picture book for parents in search of a modern day take on Russell Hoban's A Bargain for Frances combined with the kid-friendly graphic style of Mo Willem's Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

When Simon the Super Rabbit takes his cars over to his friend Ferdinand's to play, the two little rabbits decide to make a trade—all three of Simon's cars for Ferdinand's "extraordinary" red car. But as soon as Simon plays with his new toy, CRACK! it breaks! Did Ferdinand play a trick on him? Simon has an idea . . . a terrible, horrible, wonderful idea! But will Ferdinand fall for Simon's trick and not only return his three cars, but also discover Simon's—gross!—surprise? Stephanie Blake—author-illustrator of I Don't Want to Go to School!—has spun a true-to-life tale of friendship with laugh-out-loud results.

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Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Blake follows her first picture book about Simon the Super Rabbit,I Don't Want to Go to School(2009), with a disappointingly underdeveloped story about two friends and their toys.

Perhaps something got lost in translation? Initially published in France asDonner c'est donner, the story opens with Simon, "a mischievous little rabbit," going to visit his friend Ferdinand. He brings three toy cars, and the friends immediately start negotiating a trade. Simon's favorite color is red, and since his cars are yellow, green and blue, he wants Ferdinand's red one. He ultimately trades his three toys for Ferdinand's one red car (Ferdinand maintains that it is "extraordinary"), both rabbits committing to the bargain: "A deal's a deal." Upon getting home, Simon's little brother calls the red car "ugwy," and then it breaks as soon as he plays with it. A suspicious and disappointed Simon devises a plan to reverse the trade, telling Ferdinand that he left something in it. Ferdinand falls for the trick and does end up finding something inside the car; a page turn tells readers that it is "A booger." And that's...it. Adults may find much to ponder about the art of negotiation; children after resolution will just find it mean spirited.

While Blake's vibrantly colored, childlike pictures are appealing, the text lacks a certainje ne sais quois.(Picture book. 3-5)

School Library Journal
PreS-K—In this sequel to I Don't Want to Go to School! (Random, 2009), Simon the Super Rabbit is still sporting his mask and cape. But this time, he trades toys with a friend. After some negotiation, Ferdinand has three cars to Simon's one. When Simon's newly acquired possession breaks in half, he reneges on the deal, telling Ferdinand that he left something in his red car, so Ferdinand wants it back. Sticking his finger in it, he finds a booger, leaving readers either disgusted or delighted. The simple illustrations in bold colors have some appeal, but most youngsters will feel that the plot falls short.—Lindsay Persohn, Crystal Lake Elementary, Lakeland, FL
Children's Literature - Sharon Oliver
Translated from the original French publication, we have the story of rabbits Simon and Ferdinand. The two friends get together to play with their toy cars. Simon has three cars, yellow, blue and green, but prefers Ferdinand's red car. Eventually the two friends come to an agreement to trade Simon's three cars for Ferdinand's one "extraordinary" red plastic car. Unfortunately, the red car snaps in two almost as soon as Simon gets it home. In a bid to retrieve his three cars, Simon manages to convince Ferdinand that he may have left something valuable behind inside the red car and the only way to get it back is to undo the trade. Trade undone (despite the title) Simon disappears quickly with his original three cars, leaving Ferdinand to discover the rather unpleasant surprise left for him inside the broken red car. Blake's sparse but colorful illustrations are expressive and the character of Simon has particular visual appeal, with end-pages covered with images of Simon's impressive array of funny faces. However, this might not be the best message on problem solving for young children. Simon doesn't stick to his promise and plays a rather nasty trick on his friend by leaving a booger behind in the red truck, an abrupt ending to the story. With funny characters, but overall a rather mediocre story, this is an additional purchase for libraries at best. Reviewer: Sharon Oliver
School Library Journal
PreS-K—In this sequel to I Don't Want to Go to School! (Random, 2009), Simon the Super Rabbit is still sporting his mask and cape. But this time, he trades toys with a friend. After some negotiation, Ferdinand has three cars to Simon's one. When Simon's newly acquired possession breaks in half, he reneges on the deal, telling Ferdinand that he left something in his red car, so Ferdinand wants it back. Sticking his finger in it, he finds a booger, leaving readers either disgusted or delighted. The simple illustrations in bold colors have some appeal, but most youngsters will feel that the plot falls short.—Lindsay Persohn, Crystal Lake Elementary, Lakeland, FL
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780375869013
  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • Publication date: 7/26/2011
  • Pages: 40
  • Sales rank: 1,011,310
  • Age range: 3 - 7 Years
  • Product dimensions: 8.70 (w) x 10.80 (h) x 0.30 (d)

Meet the Author

STEPHANIE BLAKE'S passion for writing and illustrating began in childhood when she created books for her brothers and sisters as birthday presents. As a child, she also fell in love with the books of Dr. Seuss, Ludwig Bemelmans, and William Steig. After moving to France, she discovered other writers and artists whose work continued to inspire her stories and drawings. The author and illustrator of dozens of books in France, Stephanie Blake's first American picture book was I Don't Want to Go to School!, a tale for every child with first-day jitters.

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