Marsupial Sue presents The Runaway Pancake

Written by John Lithgow and Jack Davis, "Marsupial Sue presents The Runaway Pancake" is a modern twist on the gingerbread man story.Basically, the story is about a group of Australian animals presenting a play about The Runaway Pancake.The book also includes a CD of John Lithgow reading the story and singing the song the pancake sings.

My children have both enjoyed this story, especially my 2 year old daughter.She's very musical, and she sings the pancake's song all the time.There's a lot of repetition as the pancake runs away and escapes from various hungry denizens of the Outback.Once he finally gets caught, he sings a different song, which my daughter likes to sing when we catch her, "Dear, Dear..."

The illustrations, by Jack Davis, aren't my favorite illustrations ever, but the kids seem to enjoy them.They are complex, but something about the style of drawing doesn't appeal to me.The cuteness of the story and the enjoyment of my children overcome that for me, making this one book I recommend.