I Yam a Donkey!

by Cece Bell

Overview

Even frustrated grammarians will giggle at the who’s-on-first routine that begins with a donkey’s excited announcement, “I yam a donkey!” Unfortunately the donkey’s audience happens to be a yam, and one who is particular about sloppy pronunciation and poor grammar. An escalating series of misunderstandings leaves the yam furious and the clueless donkey bewildered by the yam’s growing (and amusing) frustration. The yam finally gets his point across, but regrettably, he’s made the situation a little bit too clear . . . and the story ends with a dark and outrageously funny twist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544087200
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	06/16/2015
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	265,698
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	120L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Cece Bell has written and illustrated many books for children, among them the beloved Sock Monkey books. She also illustrated Crankee Doodle, written by her husband, Tom Angleberger, best-selling author of the Origami Yoda books. She lives in Virginia with her family and can also be found at www.cecebell.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/13/2015
Newbery Honoree Bell (El Deafo) creates a laugh-out-loud dialogue in the tradition of “Who’s on First?” or Lane Smith’s It’s a Book. “I yam a donkey!” a googly-eyed donkey proclaims. A bespectacled yam objects. “What did you say? ‘I yam a donkey?’ The proper way to say that is ‘I am a donkey.’ ” “You is a donkey, too?” the donkey asks. “You is a funny-looking donkey.” The yam tries to educate the donkey, while the donkey demonstrates only hopeless thickheadedness. The appearance of a carrot, a turnip, and some green beans allows the yam to review conjugations of the verb “to be.” The donkey, however, spies a meal. “Oh!” he cries, finally getting it. “You is lunch!” In a linguistic landscape where literally can mean figuratively and flammable and inflammable are interchangeable, Bell’s story celebrates the idea that language changes, and pedants who can’t adapt will be left in the dust (or in a donkey’s belly). The ending sends a message that any child can endorse: “If you is going to be eaten, good grammar don’t matter.” Ages 4–8. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

2015-03-17
A stern yam corrects a grammatically challenged donkey. Beginning a muddled and maddening who's-on-first routine, with enough back and forth to make youngsters' heads spin, a donkey proudly proclaims, "I yam a donkey!" However, a nearby yam disagrees. "The proper way to say that," it admonishes, "is ‘I am a donkey.' " To which the donkey incredulously replies, "You is a donkey, too?" The poor, foolish donkey never quite figures out which form of "to be" to use, and the small, bespectacled yam grows increasingly frustrated. When a cluster of vegetables—green beans, a turnip, and a carrot—comes along (and introduces new pronouns), the donkey has a grand realization. Sadly, it's not about grammar but about…lunch! The moral, as Bell explicitly states in the end, is: "If you is going to be eaten, good grammar don't matter." Parents, teachers, and librarians may cringe. Kids not yet literate enough to recognize the visual difference between "yam" and "I am" will likely be too confused to care. The homophonic nuance is not a familiar language problem (unless you are Popeye), so many readers will not get the chance to rise above and see any humor—in either correcting the donkey or being invested in the joke. This attempt to bring levity to an already-difficult grammar task for children just tangles the situation further. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews