Throwback Thursday: The Giant Jam Sandwich

Throwback Thursday is a new feature at Reading Lark. We'll still be doing some Book Boyfriend Posts and Book BFF Posts on Thursdays as well, but the Larks wanted a little variety on Thursdays. Throwback Thursday will allow us to throwback to some of the reads we've loved -- whether it's a book reviewed last year, a book we hid under the covers to read as a teen, or a picture book from our childhood -- we hope you'll enjoy reliving the memories as much as we do!

The Giant Jam Sandwich

Story and illustrations by John Vernon Lord
Verses by Janet Burroway
Published: 1972

With the exception of Green Eggs and Ham, this is THE book I remember from my childhood. How can you not love lyrical rhyming about a city-sized swarm of wasps, a small countryside town named Itching Down, a cast of curious and oddly named townsfolk, and a giant jam sandwich larger than any house used to trap the wasps? My 12 and 19 year olds still like to hear me read it, and I still have 90% of it memorized. :)

Here's a cute video of a grandmother reading the book aloud for her grandkids. (It was her daughter's favorite as well.)

 

Summary via Goodreads

It's a dark day for Itching Down. Four million wasps have just descended on the town, and the pests are relentless! What can be done? Bap the Baker has a crazy idea that just might work . . .

Young readers will love this lyrical, rhyming text as they watch the industrious citizens of Itching Down knead, bake, and slather the biggest wasp trap there ever was! John Vernon Lord's bright ink and crayon illustrations fill the pages with humorous detail.