Picture Book Monday - A review of The Giant Jam Sandwich

Today's book is a title that I read over and over and over when I was a little girl. My father used to read it out loud, and since he had such a delicious way of speaking and a gift for reading to others, he made the story come alive. As he read, I would sit on his lap and look at the pictures, which are full of cunning details. I hope you enjoy this book as much I did.

The Giant Jam Sandwich

John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway
Illustrated by John Vernon Lord
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Houghton Mifflin, 1987, 978-0395442371
It is a hot summer’s day when the town of Itching Down is invaded by no less than four million wasps. In very short order, life becomes unbearable and the villagers call a meeting to decide what should be done about the wasps. After much talk, Baker Bap comes up with a wild idea: to make a giant jam sandwich to lure the pests into a trap.

   Soon the village of Itching Down is humming and buzzing with more than just wasps. A huge loaf of bread is baked and two slices are cut. Spread with butter and strawberry jam the villagers create a trap like none other, one which they hope the wasps will find irresistible.

  This highly entertaining story about an ingenious, if somewhat unorthodox, plan is a classic that will never lose its charm. Perfectly paced rhymes capture the drama of the tale, and original illustrations are full of details that will bring forth more than a few smiles. This is a title that children will want to read over and over again.