“I yam a donkey,” states a big-toothed blue donkey. A persnickety, spectacled yam replies, “The proper way to say that is 'I am a donkey.’” To which the donkey replies, “ You is a donkey, too?” It’s Abbott and Costello all over as the ever-more-enraged yam (“I am not a donkey. I am a YAM! ”) doesn’t grasp the futility of trying to get the donkey to understand a few basics of good grammar (not to mention the difference between tubers and mammals). The arrival of some other vegetables provides the yam with the perfect opportunity to get his point across: “I am a yam … He is a carrot. She is a turnip. They are green beans.” That’s a truth the donkey is finally able to sink his teeth into. Cece Bell’s laugh-out-loud picture book makes for a grammar lesson that’s easy to swallow and entertaining, too. Bell uses a flat, naïve style to great effect in her illustrations, in which the personified vegetables and donkey are wonderfully expressive. (Ages 5–9)

Even frustrated grammarians will giggle at the who's-on-first routine that begins with a donkey's excited announcement, "I yam a donkey!" Unfortunately the donkey's audience happens to be a yam, and one who is particular about sloppy pronunciation and poor grammar. An escalating series of misunderstandings leaves the yam furious and the clueless donkey bewildered by the yam's growing (and amusing) frustration. The yam finally gets his point across, but regrettably, he's made the situation a little bit too clear . . . and the story ends with a dark and outrageously funny twist.