My 4-year-old son and I discovered Jan Thomas’s illustrated picture books this summer. Two that we read were Can You Make a Scary Face? (2009, Beach Lane Books) and What Will Fat Cat Sit On? (2007, Harcourt Children’s Books). My son was able to read many of the words in these books, and he loved the silliness of both of them. The illustrations are bright and attention grabbing, much like the subjects of the books.
In Can You Make a Scary Face?, a bug directs the reader to pretend there is a bug in his or her shirt, and encourages him or her to do a silly dance and make a scary face, to a hilarious conclusion. In What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, the narrator asks what the fat cat should sit on, from a chicken to a cow, ultimately settling down on a chair, of all things. My son found this so very funny, requesting reread after reread. Somehow, I didn’t mind. It was a fun read aloud, and he understood the pattern pretty quickly himself.