Michael Le Souffl? and the April Fool

by Peter J. Welling

"The watercolor-and-ink illustrations bubble with a goofy spontaneity."
--Publishers Weekly

"A few laughs to go around."
--Booklist

Once upon a time in 1564, Charles IX, the king of France, ruled that the first day of the year would be January 1 instead of April 1. Those who forgot the change and celebrated New Year's Day on April 1 were ridiculed by having fish thrown at them.

In the skilled hands of Peter J. Welling,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589801059
• ISBN13: 9781589801059
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 9.3" x 9.7"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Michael Le Souffle and the April Fool

Michael Le Souffle and the April Fool is the imaginative account of the start of April Fools Day. The mayor of Bakonneggs in France is a horribly grouchy man who doesn't want anyone to have fun. He has even outlawed laughing! But when the mayor decides to change the date of New Years Day, everyone is sure he is pulling a prank. Michael Le Souffle and the April Fool tells an entertaining, humour filled story while teaching children a little about French culture and vocabulary. Throughout the pages of the story are French words for the objects shown. The book even includes an easy to use French- English translation and pronunciation guide at the back.

Another gem ? what a fantastic book!

This is Pete Welling's best book yet. Although I didn't think he could top Andrew McGroundhog and His Shady Shadow, I think Michael Le Soufflé's illustrations are the best of any children's book I have seen in recent memory. The story, a comical tale about a happy-go-lucky rooster and an irritable pig, is original to say the least. While I think children (and adults) will enjoy the story, it's the illustrations that steal the show. I was laughing more at the illustrations than at the story. Each page is packed full of humor within humor; the book may be a short 32 pages but it took me half an hour to get through it because I spent so much time on each page looking at the complex, yet fanciful, drawings.If you have a young child just learning to read or an older child who still enjoys being read to while looking at great illustrations, then buy this book. It will be cherished for years to come.