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I confess that I barely watch TV anymore. (Unlike as a kid, when I was even a card-carrying member of the Keith Partridge fan club. How could you not love Keith?) I do, however, adore movies.

To me, films are like picture books in the sense that the director has to balance the verbal and the visual parts of a story. And then there is the way scenes are designed-- the crop, the angle, the pacing. There's so much to learn.

This past weekend, out of the 218 movies currently on my Netflix queue, we watched Paris Je T'aime. (Yes, Paris! So I, of course, am enthralled!) Without spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it-- it's a collection of 18 different shorts of 5 minutes apiece by 18 different directors. (All in Paris!) Some are better than others. I laughed at some, cried at some, and was aching to know more about some. Some had fascinating twists. Some were "arty" and I didn't quite get them. Some were more slice-of-life, and some felt like a nugget of tiny, perfect little story. So much to absorb! So much to think about! So much I can apply to my own work. This one I must own.

Oh, and did I mention that they all take place in... sigh... Paris!

Title: Wag A Tail
Written and Illustrated by: Lois Ehlert
Hardback: 40 pages
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
Ages: Baby-Preschool
ISBN: 978-0152058432
Publication: April 1, 2007

Wag a Tail is a fantastic book with great images and quick, rhyming text.

The beginning of the book has an author’s note, which explains how the book was put together. Ehlert says the book was created quite similarly “like a quilt.” Fabric scraps and bits and pieces of papers were used to form the beautiful collage images. Ehlert used scrap pieces from her other books, such as “Leaf Man” and “Top Cat.” The images in the book are vibrant and eye catching and they add a lot of appeal, especially for younger readers.

The book starts off with a sign pointing to “Farmer’s Market” (thataway!). From there, readers discover a wonderful singsong adventure between graduate dogs of the “Bow Wow School.”

“Wag a tail.
Wag a tail.
We know how.
Wig Wag Zig Zag
Let’s play now!”

The language is colorful and it sings off the page like jazz. The end of the book has a “guide” that identifies all the dog graduates from the “Bow Wow School.” But can these city dogs be obedient at the city market? What makes these “Bow Wow” graduates so cool? This book is guaranteed to educate and entertain!

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Reviewed by Sylvia C. Hall

This episode of Just One More Book! is part of our showcase coverage of the International Reading Association’s 52nd annual conference.

Mark speaks with Lois Ehlert about eating the alphabet to create her book Eating the Alphabet, her beautiful collage illustrations and exploring her creativity as a child.

Books mentioned:

• Eating The Alphabet: Fruits And Vegetables From A To Z
• Wag A Tail
• Under My Nose (Meet The Author, Lois Ehlert)
• Hands: Growing Up to be An Artist
  

Participate in the conversation by leaving a comment on this interview, or send an email to [email protected].