Johnnie Mr. Tough Guy is an adorable children’s picture book written by Raffaella
Buffolino and illustrated by Michael Monochello. Johnnie was a tough little
guy, and he wasn’t afraid of anything – bugs, storms, monsters, not even the
kid next door. When his mom says they’re going to visit the zoo that day,
Johnnie decides to find an animal there that’s as tough as he feels he is. They
went early and so there were no crowds and long lines of visitors. Johnnie and
his mom had the place to themselves. Johnnie visits a number of exhibits – the
lion, the gorilla, the giraffe, the snakes, the elephants, the hippos – and
tries to decide who is the toughest guy there… He thought about what the
zookeeper said about the lion; even in a cage, the lion was still the king.
Johnnie wonders if he is the king of the house, like the lion?
This
is a delightful book that gives children food for thought as Johnnie examines
each animal and comes to his conclusion about it. I liked that Johnnie had his
own opinions and related each animal to his own experiences or people in his
life. The illustrations are well done and brightly colored, the type that grabs
a young reader’s attention and makes them want to discover more. The images
above each actual animal image are just wonderful and I loved the imaginative
take on the rat and the snake. There is a lot for children to explore in each
illustration and these offer topics for discussion. Parents and teachers can
use this book for further discussion, as well as some research into wildlife.
This is a delightful, deceptively simple tale that offers youngsters a lot more
than at first glance.
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