Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Giant Jam Sandwich
Illustrator: John Vernon Lord
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Houghton Mifflin, 1987 ISBN: 978-0395442371
It is a hot summers day when the town of Itching Down is invaded by no less than four million wasps. In very short order, life becomes unbearable and the villagers call a meeting to decide what should be done about the wasps. After much talk, Baker Bap comes up with a wild idea: to make a giant jam sandwich to lure the pests into a trap.
Soon the village of Itching Down is humming and buzzing with more than just wasps. A huge loaf of bread is baked and two slices are cut. Spread with butter and strawberry jam the villagers create a trap like none other, one which they hope the wasps will find irresistible.
This highly entertaining story about an ingenious, if somewhat unorthodox, plan is a classic that will never lose its charm. Perfectly paced rhymes capture the drama of the tale, and original illustrations are full of details that will bring forth more than a few smiles. This is a title that children will want to read over and over again.