Children’s picture book, The Terrible PLOP, is written by Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrated by Andrew Joyner.
To be fair, my first reaction to seeing the title and cover made me hesitate. The Terrible PLOP. I first assumed it was a made up creature, invented and used specifically for rhyme potential. I also felt the cover was so-so and thus I began reading, unimpressed and ready to get it over with.
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I could not have been more pleased when the inside of the book was quite a bit different than the feeling I experienced from the cover. You know what they say about judging books! Ursula Dubosarsky masterfully used short rhyme verse to propel a very unique story. What begins as a classic bunny picnic turns into a child friendly fright induced panic. The Terrible PLOP, which I won’t spoil for you, sends the animals into a frenzy as they try to escape. One by one, new animals are swept up in the stampede until they come across the big brown bear.
This story keeps building climax and when the big brown bear refuses to go along with the fray, a lot of excitement and suspense is created for the reader. A good book makes readers ask questions that the book then answers.
The emotional clarity that Andrew Joyner created also keep up the exciting pace along with the plot. The bear, in all his pride, finds himself also at the mercy of The Terrible PLOP. This story, besides it’s simple, enjoyable plot delivery, ends perfectly. The creature most afraid becomes the only one to know the secret; that The Terrible PLOP is not so terrible after all.
Many parallels can be found in relating this story to life lessons for children. One of the clearest is to be careful of going along with the crowd. I recommend you check out this book from your local library or purchase it as a forever book.
