Two stories that leave you out of breath!

Can you tell I like Allan Ahlberg books? These making a total of 3 in this young blog's life. But, if I find an author that I think is a consistent producer of the best children's books out there, I tend to go overboard on it. These two are part of a trilogy of books about the Gaskitt family that are absolutely wonderful to read and share out loud.
As with The Runaway Dinner, The Children Who Smelled a Rat (TCWSAR) and The Cat Who Got Carried Away ( TCWGCA) are stories that leave you breathless as your mouth tries to keep up with the super-fast plot laid out before you. The Gaskitt family finds themselves tied up in a series of events that eventually come together at the end of the books. TCWSAR follows Mr. Gaskitt, who has lost the baby in a runaway grocery cart, at the same time, the children are trying to figure out what has happened to their beloved teacher whose behavior has mysteriously changed. Meanwhile, the family pets are also embroiled in fascination, and Mrs. Gaskitt meets the most interesting people on her taxi route. The pace of the story becomes more and more intense as we close in on the fabulous ending. TCWGCA proceeds TCWSAR in that there are only 2 Gaskitt children at the beginning of the story, and ends with a joyful addition. This story follows the frenetic journey of the Mr. and Mrs. as they try to get to the hospital in time. Of course, all the while, the Gaskitt children are part of their own adventure with yet another unusual teacher and her unusual teaching methods, all the while the Gaskitt family cat has gone missing. The third book, The Man Who Wore All of His Clothes is also worth reading, but at this entry, was back in the library waiting for the next lucky person to check it out.

Why we like these books: Two words: Wonderful Storytelling. Period. Mr. Ahlberg can spin a yarn that looks incredibly tangled, but in the end is woven into the finest cloth. Everything about the books lends to it's readability and fun: The illustrations by Katharine McEwen detailing the city layout and the individual expressions of the people as well as the typeface itself--looking more handwritten and flows like it is straight from a person's mouth. Mr. Ahlberg has fun with this, too, because as the stories inch closer and closer to the climax, he tends to break the tension periodically with interjections that have to do with other things entirely or other characters. He also runs the words together to add to the sensation of the speed of thought. How he manages to bring all the subplots together at the end of each story is a gift Mr. Ahlberg has as a master storyteller. And it always ends well--family reunited, happy, safe and together--the way a good story should.