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Similes, metaphors, idioms. All fascinating literary devices taught to grade-school children to spice up writing. In the book Mom and Dad Are Palindromes, Mark Shulman and Adam McCauley explore another fun quirk of the English language in terms that make it fun to learn.
This beginning reader book uses over one hundred palindromes to help kids understand what that big word really means. With words like kook, Anna, wow, peep and radar, poor young Bob rushes around in hilarious panic trying to find anything that isn’t a palindrome.
The artist who drew for the popular Wayside School stories illustrates Mom and Dad. He makes a wild-eyed, frantic kid to take us through the story. Adam McCauley choice of primary colors along with black and white makes a bold, bright statement. He emphasizes certain features- like hair and eyebrows- to leave no doubt of the characters’ feelings. On some pages, though, the art is a bit too crazy and rather than drawing me into the tale, it made me want to turn the page quickly.
Overall, Mom and Dad Are Palindromes is a fun way to teach kids about language and how to use it well. My own kids have made it a game to find palindromes while riding around town. Anything that makes learning fun is good in my book.
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Mom and Dad Are Palindromes