The Runaway Dinner

by Allan Ahlberg

Book Overview

A young boy named Banjo Cannon always eats a sausage for dinner, until the night that his sausage--and the rest of his meal--runs away.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763631426
• ISBN13: 9780763631420
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 11.4" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Entertaining and lively.

This book is wonderful. It is a book that needs to be read out loud to children with much dramatics and suspense. It isn't a book you could simply buy and hand off to the six year old but read it to them and they are hooked. My three year old liked it too although my six year old adores it (and now reads it herself). Definitely not for the under 3 set. I actually enjoy reading it to them. Some children's books are so predictable. Open up your child's perspective and experience with something a little different. We love this book.

Happy Preschool Teacher

I work at a preschool that also has a pre-k class. The kids LOVED this book! I also really enjoyed it, I had ordered this copy for myself, but I think that we're going to need one at school too. It is fun, funny, and charming. The children in both classes are still talking about it days later. In general I'm not a fan of newer children's books, I would prefer to read The Runaway Bunny, but this book is destined to be a classic. The illistrations are colorful and engaging, and the story is told in a way that children can easily understand because it is how many of them speak and think (it is a little hard to get into the rythm at first). Even the kids who don't really enjoy books loved this one! It is a must have.

Melvin is a hit!

Our nearly 3 year old son, just loves this book. The author makes each character simply come to life on every page. The illustrations are colourful and fun. The narrative is a little different, but keeps our son thoroughly engaged right 'til the end!

Quirky and great fun to read

The people in my family are great fans of the "spoken" narrative style of Richard Scarry. This book is just as fun to read outloud (very important from a parent's perspective) and the illustrations are charming and clever. I like a children's book with a sense of humor. My girls, age 2 and 4, are tickled with this one too. A word of caution: 2 of the 3 peas in the story are consumed by fowl, so perhaps children who are a very concerned about death would not be an appropriate audience.