“That Is Not a Good Idea!” by Mo Williams
Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2015, 32 pages, grades K-2.
Sometimes people do things that aren’t very smart. Why is this? Occasionally, we just feel like doing the activity. At other times, people don’t realize the implications of their choice. And sometimes, we just do things that we know aren’t going to be good for us.
This lack of prudence usually results in some sort of unpleasant result for people. But sometimes the people luck out and escape the consequences of a poorly thought out decision. Mo Williams has written a thoroughly delightful story about this. The characters in the book are repeatedly warned of problems and the book is appropriately named, “That Is Not a Good Idea!”
A mother duck is happily walking down the street. She doesn’t seem particularly intelligent, but rather just a peaceful, ordinary duck. As she walks down the street, a fox spies her on the sidewalk. His eyes light up and all he can think about is supper. The problem now is to befuddle the duck and get her to come into the deep, dark forest with him.
The fox happily greets the duck. Somewhat flattered that someone is paying attention to her, she accepts his invitation to go for a walk into the forest. Each time she makes a choice, the baby ducks on the next page state: “That is not a good idea.”
Undeterred, the duck accompanies the fox farther into the woods. He seems so gentlemanly and kind. As they walk, the fox invites the duck to come into his cottage. What a nice invitation! She readily accepts and the baby ducks on the next page repeat: “That is really, really not a good idea.”
Smiling, the mother duck keeps following the elegant fox’s instructions. When asked if she would like some soup, the duck tells the fox that she loves soup. The story continues to progress with the mother duck finally being warned, “That is really, really, really not a good idea.” At last the fox is ready to spring his trap. The water is boiling and he invites the duck to look into the kettle. Suddenly, a trick happens.
What was the trick that happened at the end of the book? Who outfoxed who? Have you ever had a trick played on you? Sometimes it is possible to turn the tables on the trickster. What does the duck finally do? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this funny tale, “That Is Not a Good Idea!” by Mo Williams.
This book was made to share with the younger children in your family. The story is upbeat and funny. The children will not believe that the duck can be so gullible. As you read the story, have the children make predictions about what is going to happen next in the story. You will have a delightful experience together.
The conclusion of the book has a clever ending. It lends itself to a technique in oral reading called “look backs.” You turn the pages back to an earlier part of the story and then compare it to a later picture. Then you can ask the children who really was the trickster. The book is just great fun and I hope you get a chance to read it with the younger members of your family. Enjoy!
