Title: Crankee Doodle

Author: Tom Angleberger

Illustrator: Cece Bell

Publisher/Year: Clarion Books/2013

Happy Independence Day everyone! I’ve got the perfect patriotic (or perhaps it’s the perfect un-patriotic) picture book for you today. Oh my gosh, this book is hilarious. You will love it just as much as your kids. It’s called Crankee Doodle and it’s about Mr. Doodle and his pony. Mr. Doodle has no intentions of going to town no matter how much his pony tries to convince him. And he doesn’t hesitate to express his opinions on the subject. You absolutely must read this story out loud to appreciate the dialogue that goes on between Doodle and his pony. Here’s a sampling: (Pony) “You could call it macaroni.” (Doodle) “Call what macaroni?” (Pony) “Your hat with the feather in it.” (Doodle) “First of all, why would I want to call my hat macaroni? I don’t want to call my hat anything! It’s just a hat! Second of all, why would putting a feather in my hat turn it into macaroni? It would still be a hat, not macaroni!” I just love the interaction between these two characters. The pony remains calm while Doodle becomes increasingly agitated. Essentially, the whole story is told through quick-paced, witty dialogue and, of course, Cece Bell’s colorful and humorous, full-page illustrations. Author Tom Angleberger did a fantastic job creating a story based on the well-known tune “Yankee Doodle”. And like all terrific picture books, this one has a surprise at the end. This is a must read!