Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Big Orange Splot

The Big Orange Splot
Written and illustrated by: Daniel Manus Pinkwater

You know that unusual house in your town?  The one that has more colors than all the rest, or unusually bright colors, some yard art, maybe even a picture or two?  The Big Orange Splot is about a house like that. A house that is different, that stands out in the crowd.  That house in your town might be considered anything from interesting to an artist's abode, to an eyesore...and it seems every town has at least one.  Does yours?  I hope so! 

Well, Mr Plumbean initially accidentally ends up with one of those unusual houses. You see, a bird accidentally drops a can of orange paint on his roof (no one knows why).  And before he gets around to getting rid of that spot, he seems to kind of get used to the idea...and then he expands on it.  The people on his street are not amused.  But then he gets them one by one to listen to his dreams, and then he listens to theirs...and then suddenly his street is not quite as tidy as it used to be.  And they all like it that way.

I love the way this book invites you to be bold,  think out of the box, and perhaps most of all dream.  It makes a great read aloud, and talk aloud.  It is a children's classic. Don't forget to paint a picture of your own house of dreams!

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