Up, Up, Down

Sylvia Pantaleo is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at the University of Victoria. She is the
co-author of Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary
Classroom.

Anna likes to climb. She climbs “up, up, up” the refrigerator and
falls down. She climbs “up, up, up” her bedroom dresser and falls
down. After each fall, Anna’s mother and father warn her, “Be
careful! Don’t climb!” Anna proceeds to climb the highest tree she
can locate and once she reaches the top, she goads her parents to come
after her. Her mother tries to climb the tree but falls down on her
head. Anna’s father tries to climb the tree but lands on his bottom.
Anna descends the tree and wraps her mother and father in enormous
Band-Aids. She then reprimands her parents with “Be CAREFUL—don’t
CLIMB!”

The bright, energetic watercolor illustrations include distinctive
“Martchenko-like” characters, as well as several amusing details,
such as a squirrel in a tree watching television with a satellite dish.
The story is typical Munsch—simplistic plot, repetitive pattern, and
satirical treatment of adult authority. This selection, like many of
Munsch’s stories, contains the ingredients of chagrined adults, a
stubborn child, and exaggerated situations. Recommended.