The Hoboken chicken emergency Book

This book is so special, I just had to create a whole new shelf for it.

We passed through Niantic today, had lots of store credit to burn at the Book Barn, and two small boys eating too many free donuts (the small "chocolate" coated ones that taste like wax). It was time to go, but I spotted this, vaguely remembered reading it in the 90s and finding it funny, grabbed it and got us out of there. Later at home, with the boys asleep, I had the chance to look over my purchases more leisurely and reread it. This book is wickedly funny -- it's a parody of early readers -- and it's a mercy my cackles didn't wake the house. But the tragedy is that as much as I love it, I will not be able to read to this to my older son, who would take it at face value and find it completely devastating. Consider the chapter titled "Holly's Boat":

Holly's boat will not float.
"Little Boat, why won't you float?" asks Holly.
"Do not be afraid, little boat. You can do it...FLOAT!"
"You're right!", said Holly's boat. "I CAN do it..."
"I CAN DO IT..."
Holly's Boat floated away and away.
Holly had to buy a new boat.

Cue tears and furious demands to write the author a letter and make him change the story. Perhaps I'll share this one with T when he's in his 20s...