"'I found a box', said the fox"

"What is THAT?" Said the Cat is a Hello Reader!, Level 1 book put out by Scholastic. It's targeted audience is Preschool - Grade 1. My son brought this home as part of a learning pack he borrows from his teacher. His teacher offers these packs as ways to keep the learning going at home.

We open the story with Fox finding a box. From then on, Fox is joined by a large assortment of animals who come to see what there is to see concerning the box in question. More and more animals join them each wondering, pondering and even trying to force the box open. And it's a bugger of a box at that. Even Horse can not open it with force. Finally, a fly comes to try and open it up and does by clicking the lock open. At first all we see are a set of menacing eyes and like a flash, each animal in turn takes off for the hills casting a "See you later, alligator!" over their shoulders.

In case you were wondering.. yes indeed there IS an alligator inside the box. Who pops out as they take off quite unassuming and looking even cheerful. The last page we see him shrugging, saying nothing looking dejected and confused as if so say "was it something I did?".

The rhyming of the story is the key element in this book and in it's utilization as a learning tool for early readers. Kids, whether they read it on their own or with the help of an adult, see how words rhyme, the rhythm and cadence of the sentences which help them develop and further reading skills.

This is an excellent tool for such learning and is also entertaining for the adults who may be helping them offering a funny mini-mystery and a surprise ending. The illustrations are cartoonish with the animals acting more like humans at times like Fox who relaxes with a drink as others continue to converge pondering over the contents of the box. Most animals walk upon their hind legs like humans and even other illustrations are just absurd and very cartoonish, like Pig floating in on balloons, Cat cruising in on a skateboard and Horse giving his best Bruce Lee karate kick to the box.

I'd recommend this to anyone interested in helping their child further their early reading endeavors. While it may be too difficult for first time readers to get through solo the first time, it's rhythm and rhyme help make it an easy book to read over and over and have the child remember more and more of with each reading.