Telephone

Telephone
by Mac Barnett
illustrated by Jen Corace
Chronicle Books, 2014. Picture Book

Have you ever played the game "telephone" where one person whispers to the next, and that person passes on the message to the next?  Somehow by the end of the line, the message has gotten all mixed up. That is what happens in this amusing tale of avian miscommunication.  Mother Pigeon wants her son, Peter, to come home for dinner.  As one bird passes the message to another along the power line, the message morphs to include airplanes, rock stars, crocodiles and much more.  It is insightful that each bird changes the message to match his own interests. Will Peter ever get his mother's real message? Corace's sprightly watercolor illustrations add color, personality, and humor to the bird brained characters.  This is a fun book that could lead to some interesting parent/child discussion about why you can't always believe what you hear.