CDB!

This is the most awesome book for kids in the world. I remember this book like it was yesterday. Making the sounds and trying to figure out which words they were trying to mean. When I got each one I was simply enthralled. I would do the happy dance all through the halls into the kitchen to show my Mom that I had succeeded. I was a happy girl. In a sense I was reading, even though I was too young to read at the time. Even now, I remember how happy this book made me.

As an example, the books name CDB comes with a picture of a large bee and a flower - meaning

S e e t h e B e e

When I recognized that I was ecstatic. I was over the moon. To this day those three letters in succession will make me smile. I think all parents should get their show more kids this book. Make their brains work hard for rewards, instead of having everything presented to them on a silver platter in multimedia. How else will their brains grow if you don't?

CDB is one of my all time favorite childrens books and I absolutely love it. show less

Retelling: This is not a story so much as a series of puzzles. Author and cartoonist William Steig and his wife and collaborator Jeanne use letters in the English language that sound like words to create sentences. For example, the title of the book, "C D B!" means "See the bee." The illustrations in the book will help you crack the code if you can't right away and there is an answer key at the end if you get too stuck.

Thoughts and Feelings: Reading this book was a little like learning to read all over again. First you make the sounds, then you change them a bit, then you put the emphasis in a different place or use a different tone and eventually a whole sentence with meaning emerges! I found it delightful!

This is an inventive picture book unlike any other, something one can say about any Steig book. The word puzzles vary in difficulty, and the hardest probably will stump younger readers. The one featured on the cover is an example of one of the easiest. Solutions for all are included at the end.

Another delightful book by William Steig! I enjoyed sharing this one with my students, and I've kept a personal copy of it after all these years. Figuring some of the words out reminds me of deciphering some car license plates. The delight in figuring some of them out put a smile on my face! I hadn't picked this book up in several years, so a few of them took me a few seconds to figure out! Didn't mind, though--that much longer to enjoy! The illustrations are fun, and there's a key to the letter-sentences in the back of the book.

Okay, this book is VERY confusing!! Steig uses letters as codes on the pages, which he defines in the back. The illustrations give some hints to decoding the letters, but not too much. I had a difficult time trying to translate the codes. I wouldn't read this book out loud without first studying the definitions because I wouldn't want to look like a fool. However, I bet the kids would have a blast laughing at me trying and I can almost guarantee that they would get the translations faster and better than I could.

One of my favorite books of all time! My dad loves these little things and I have really fond memories of reading it with him as a kid.

William Steig predicted internet-speak!

This book would probably drive me crazy now but when I was in grade school I thought it was the cleverest thing ever.