Why a Disguise

by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Book Overview

A whimsical children's guide to living incognito demonstrates the pros and cons of donning a disguise as a means of escaping such life perils as setting the table and the class bully. By the author of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689825307
• ISBN13: 9780689825309
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 7.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 6 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 1

Customer Reviews

Who is That Masked Boy?

Famed author Laura Numeroff ("If You Give A Mouse a Cookie") and illustrator David McPhail ("Pigs Ahoy") team in this clever story about going incognito. Our young hero dons an outrageous facemask whenever he's in a risky situation. His disguise is in the "cheapo cheapo" tradition of the "Groucho" mask, but with a large reddish moustache and beard, a gigantic red nose, and ultra cool black-rimmed, green tinted glasses. The unnamed low-tech spy (yet another trick in his spy plan?) goes undercover when faced with such precarious situations as a visit to the dentist's office, a dinner with lima beans, bath time ("You might want to add a different hat"), and when relatives come ("Then they won't pinch your cheek and say "My, how you've grown."). The text and watercolor pictures share a sly, droll humor. The disguise is certain to fool no one, but its fun to watch the young boy try: He puts on the mask while playing hide-and-seek, and leans against a tree, assuring us "you won't have to bother looking for a place to hide." Two feet away another boy looks at him with a puzzled expression. He gets into only one potentially dangerous situation when a "bully" stands in front of his school bus, but the bus driver looks on and makes sure he passes untouched (just in case the disguise isn't enough). Throughout most of the book, Numeroff and McPhail keep an adult nearby, and the warm big-faced portraits convey protection and love. The boy has a lot of fun fooling his friends and relatives, but his blatant flouting of social convention is transparent and safe. A little rebellion can be good for you, but even little James Bond admits (while being tucked in for the night), "...at the end of the day it's nice to know that you're still you." This is a very fun and inviting book that almost any young sleuth will want to have close at hand.