Review – The Day Leo Said I Hate You!
Posted by shelburns on November 12, 2008
I was lucky enough to receive this book in a blog giveaway. I had seen posts about it and knew I had to read it for myself. I even shared it with a group of 2nd graders today…they loved it! That is enough of a review for me, but I want to do the book justice, so I’ll tell you what this teacher thinks.
Title: The Day Leo Said, I Hate You!
Author: Robie H. Harris
Illustrator: Molly Bang
Synopsis: Leo continures to do things that he shouldn’t. Leo’s mom continues to tell him “No.” Well, Leo has had enough of that. In his bedroom, no one can tell him no. Then, the words just pop out of his mouth before he can take them back…Oh no! What will mom do? How will Leo fix what just happened?
My Review: When I first read this, it so reminded me of When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry, mostly because the illustrations are by Molly Bang, but also because it is about a little kid who gets so mad they can’t control themselves. I was drawn to the illustrations…they are phenomenal. Even the kids commented on how some of the items in the pictures look real. They also liked it when Leo got mad and his face was BIG and red. The story itself is a great one! What a message to send to kids. It is okay to hate “things,” but we don’t say we hate people. I love the way Harris uses different typeset, small letters, large letters, all caps, to get the point across. Leo is all boy, one that many little boys will relate to. What parent hasn’t heard his/her child say this to them at one point? Harris chooses such a great way to deal with those 3 little words. It is a great story that will have the children laughing, but one that carries such a great message. This is a must read and one that I’m sure will be checked out over and over again from the library. I know because I set it down to talk to a parent today and three kids picked it up.
