Giant Pants and Moving Pillows

TIMES TWO!!

Supreme silliness is afoot.  In my case afoot, afoot, afoot and afoot.  All four of my feet were twitching with amusement when I read these two books.The first one has a dog in it.  And a cat, but nothing can be perfect.  Laura Gehl wrote the words and Christopher Weyant made the pictures in "My Pillow Keeps Moving!"  A dog and a cat have no home and are shivering in the cold outside a store called The Pillow Place, which advertises that their pillows are guaranteed soft & fluffy.  A leg approaches on the right - that is just masterful, this illustrator really knows how to increase anticipation and silliness.

This is the setup for a very funny pattern - dog sneaks in to store, hides amongst merchandise on sale.  Goofy old man buys dog, thinking it is sale item.  At home his new product does not behave as expected, he takes it back to store.  Salesman (think used car salesman) assures him the product meets all guaranteed qualities (soft & fluffy!) and sends him on his way. This pattern is repeated with pillows, footstools, and jackets until we reach the inevitable very happy ending.
Make sure you look for the cat throughout the book, and don't forget to enjoy the stinky and embarrassing trip to the grocery store!

Next you might want to open up the giant-sized book "Giant Pants".  Ye Olde Mark Fearing wrote and illustrated this silly book, which seems to take place in the magical Middle Ages, with a touch of cyclops thrown in.  Belbum the giant has lost his one pair of pants, which were specially made for him by the tailor in town.  After unsuccessfully searching his whole house and flinging things about, Belbum must venture forth in his very large and polka-dotted boxers to try to find some pants.  He visits each of his friends - Polyphemus the cyclops (enjoy the picture of Belbum in a very small toga), Old Grint the wise gnome,  and Lucy the unicorn.  No pants!  Watch as Belbum cringingly walks in his boxers to find the tailor in town.  Enjoy his generosity with his friends, and then nod knowingly as he returns home with his fancy new pants, opens a drawer to put them away, and finds his old pants.

I was reminded of one of my other favorite books about a giant, "The Spiffiest Giant in Town".  That would make a great companion read.  Another favorite, "Lost Cat", could pair delightfully with "My Pillow is Moving".  So grab your dog biscuits and a big bowl of water, climb up on the couch and circle around about ten times, then settle down on top of the remote and the one good blanket and have yourself an afternoon of cozy reading.