Watch Your Tongue, Cecily Beasley

by Lane Fredrickson, Jon Davis

Overview

Cecily Beasley is never polite--she won't say thank you, please, or goodnight. She slurps her food, refuses to share, and sticks her tongue out everywhere. But this rude little girl gets her comeuppance in this rambunctious, rhyming picture book that makes its point with irresistible humor.
 
Every child has heard the words, “Don't make that face. It might freeze that way!” Well, that's exactly what happens to Cecily--and to make things worse, a bird builds a nest on her outstretched tongue! But only when the chicks hatch will Cecily finally learn a lesson she'll never forget. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402770890
Publisher:	Sterling Children's Books
Publication date:	08/07/2012
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Lane Fredrickson is a veteran of the United States Air Force. She holds a degree in psychology and is working toward a degree in English. Cecily Beasley is Lane's first published children's book. She lives in Delray Beach, FL.
 
Jon Davis's illustration career began in 3D animation, but he felt a stronger pull toward children's books and began working in the field just a few years back. He has several projects planned for release in 2012 and 2013. Jon lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

It is said that the tongue is one of the strongest muscles in the human body, and the one belonging to ill-mannered Cecily Beasley is a whole lot stronger by the end of her ordeal in this cautionary tale. Cecily has many bad habits—“She tap-danced on tables./ She cartwheeled in dirt./ And she wrote, ‘I won’t share’ on the front of her shirt”—but worst of all is her tendency to stick out her tongue at friends and family alike. She is warned that her tongue might get stuck that way, and, wouldn’t you know it, it does just that. Debut author Fredrickson doesn’t stop there: a bird promptly builds a nest on Cecily’s tongue, forcing the girl to carry it around in front of her face. It’s not until the Mockingbeak Tongue-snatchers hatch (and promptly stick out their tongues at Cecily) that she has a change of heart. Fredrickson’s galloping verse delivers the story’s message with a light touch (and some clever rhymes), while British illustrator Davis’s loose, expressive cartoons make the most of the comic absurdity of the premise. Ages 4–7. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

In a distinctly Seussian meter, this story tells a cautionary tale of what befalls rude little Cecily when she ignores a friend's warning that a stuck-out tongue might get stuck that way . . . The bouncing rhythm of the text is well matched by Davis' dynamic, detailed watercolor illustrations that add energy and laughs to the lessons. Cecily's final solution to the trouble she has caused is a hand-lettered sign that moves the story's main text into the artwork itself. An easy read-aloud that will result in lots of participation from the audience.” --Booklist

From the Publisher

.K-Gr 2—Cecily is a rude little girl. She never says "please" or "thank you" and she laughs at her own loud burps. But the worst thing she does is to make awful faces by sticking out her tongue at adults and other children. One day she is warned that "if you do it too much, then your tongue might get stuck." Sure enough, Cecily sticks out her tongue and it freezes. As if that weren't bad enough, a hovering bird ("a Mockingbeak Tongue-snatcher") builds its nest on it. Cecily is told there is nothing to do but wait until the eggs hatch. After 13 days, the baby birds emerge, and each one turns its head and sticks out its tongue at Cecily. This experience inspires introspection on the child's part, and she begins to make amends to those she offended. After the birds abandon their perch on her tongue, Cecily becomes much more polite. This cautionary tale is told in Seuss-style rhyming couplets. Children will get the gist of the story, but some of the vocabulary might be over their heads. The cartoon drawings are colorful and somewhat loose, but help to illustrate the actions.—Debbie Lewis, Alachua County Library District, FL

School Library Journal

That's right, Cecily. If you make an ugly face, it just might get stuck. There once was a time that little Cecily Beasley was a grade-A brat. She wouldn't share; she slurped her food; her belches--public and smirk-enhanced--were stinky. She would stick out her tongue and waggle her fingers, and she took no heed when warned her gesture might freeze just so. Sure's shootin', one day her tongue won't retract, and a Mockingbeak Tongue-snatcher quickly makes a nest thereupon. A doctor counsels the family not to disturb the bird, which can be as feisty and ill-mannered a customer as Cecily. She had to wait--patience not being among her virtues, either--for the eggs to hatch. Fredrickson's salute to the risks of bad manners is gladdening and admonitory in all the right, playful ways. When the Tongue-snatcher hatchlings stick their collective tongues out at Cecily, it makes for a fair rebuke. Fredrickson also has her share of fun with the dexterity of her rhymes: "It's a Mockingbeak Tongue-snatcher, rude and tenacious. / They roost on the tongues of the loud and audacious." Then there are Davis' illustrations full of fruity, tropical color and theatrical line work; they are spot-on in catching Cecily in her predicament--the sheer misery of having a tongue as big as a mature sea cucumber. This snazzy cautionary tale packs quite a bite (even with its tongue in the way). (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews