I would like to share with you an amazing book. It is called Who Needs Donuts?
Now, a lot of children's books, they have sort of allegories going, parables. Don't lie. Be kind to others. Tolerate and appreciate differences. Go to the dentist.

So Who Needs Donuts, it's interesting though in the children's book field, because it is pretty clearly a parable about drugs and/or addiction.

I am going to scan pictures for you. Ok wait here.

So, like, here is the hero of our story, little Sam:



He really likes donuts.


He leaves his home at the beginning, not because he has problems there, no he has a cushy life, but he wants donuts. He's got a hole in his heart you guys, the size of a donut, his eyes are donuts. Donut is so, so clearly his crack.

I was going to give this book to my supervising teacher as a goodbye, along with another I knew she'd like. I love this book so much. But then I'm all, huh the drug thing is really obvious. Now, the moral (SPOILER) of the story seems to be that, like, donuts are great and all, they have their place, but love is better, and being a donut crack fiend is a lonely road, kids. Still, even with that, the parents in Dallas...I don't know. Risky.
Oh also, in the book little Sam runs off with an insane-eyed donut pusherman (literally, he pushes [and/or pulls] a wagon filled with donuts, he's all, "little boy, come enjoy donuts with me"), and this is not a bad thing for Sam. He runs off with donut pusherman, and the bummer thing is that eventually the pusherman falls in love with a pusherwoman and LEAVES, not that like they lose their clothes and arms to the donut habit and commit horrific crimes. No no.
So, that's a problem. Except for being great.

So, there's the not entirely negative drug allusions, the talking with strangers is ok message, and then also the book's illustrations are crazy detailed. It's great for close reading, but not for read alouds, and not for first graders so much.

Look at the radicalness of these illustrations. Ok, first scan, the whole page:




Now, a detail, from the upper left area:




MOW, you guys! So many superb, dorky details THAT I HAVEN'T EVEN FOUND YET. eeeeeee