Classroom Books and Year Two readers- Is It Because? by Tony Ross

A great rhyming book today: "Is It Because?" by Tony Ross. Rhyming books are one of those things you either love or hate. Personally, I prefer this type of silly fun rhyming book to most children's poetry, as children always react well to silly rhymes, and perhaps less so to reflective poetic texts. Having said that, the book does pose the question: "Is it because he wees in his bed?", so if you think this sort of book is simply encouraging children to be juvenile, perhaps it's not the book for you. If you like the sound of it, then read on!

Many rhyming books follow little or no storyline. "Is It Because?" seems to follow this tradition, except a final reveal in the text shows that there has been a continuous storyline throughout the rhymes that is only made clear at the end. Ross' rhymes are fun and energetic. He asks the reader: "Is it because of the size of his head?" (below, left), accompanied by an illustration of the main character musing about a boy with an vastly exaggerated head. The giggles resulting from the comical illustrations then explode as the following page uses the previously mentioned line: "Is it because he wees in his bed?" (below, right) along with a fantastically funny illustration of a boy literally afloat in bed, surrounded by a river of "wee". As previously indicated, it's a silly book that will promote much laughter- a strong positive in most classrooms and homes.



The book progresses with equally funny rhyming couplets, all accompanied with ludicrous illustrations that are often literal translations of the text- when the boy asks if it is because he's as thick as a log, then Ross follows up with a picture of a boy with a tree for a head. Good, humorous stuff that most children (and many adults) will laugh out loud at.

Tony Ross is arguably an illustrator first, and a writer second- he lectures in Art in Manchester. His books can be used in art lessons to great effect. He states: "Line is the most important element in my work – the line is the basis of the whole thing." [link]. His illustrations in this work are indicative of this stylistic approach; it really is something for children to think about. By creating strong outlines in his illustrations, Ross provides a different look at line that teachers can adapt for the classroom. Creating strongly defined images seems to be a speciality of Ross, and examining his use of line with a view to mimicking his distinctive style is a different approach to the normal activities used for line under the National Curriculum- 'take a line for a walk', anyone?

Whilst researching Tony Ross online I found a fantastic quote taken from this interview [link]:

"Children need a bit of support because they live in a really weird world. Roald Dahl said they were 'Dwarves in the land of giants …' where everybody’s bigger and everybody tells them what to do, what to eat, and what to wear. They are a pretty oppressed group."

Quite an amusing way of putting it- as equally amusing as this great book.