Lemonade Parade

As reading specialist at elementary schools, I search out books which will entice young children to become lifelong book lovers. A read-aloud book, Ben Brooks' Lemonade Parade is one read-aloud which fits the bill. A familiar situation (a not-so-busy lemonade stand), just enough repetition to give the text rhythm, a light-hearted mystery (Just why do all those customers wear the same familiar red sneakers?), and delightful drawings by Bill Slavin have captured the hearts of lots of first and second graders in my corner of the world

A basic plot with three kids selling lemonade on a hot day. Dad spots the kids at work and decides to help out. One of the clever kids is Wynona, a sly character with mother wit. The many disguises Dad wears appeal to the kid in adults and recreate the emotions most of us have felt on the hot summer day someone decided to run a lemonade stand. The emphasis on Dad's involvement is a bonus. One Dad I know actually played out the book when his own kids were flogging their liquid cooler. Slavin's illustrations are marvelous. Brooks has gone on to do sketch comedy (Joe's Convenience) in a big way. He wrote this when he was 19 and had stopped out of college