10 for Dinner(PB)

Margo's having a birthday party and she invites ten friends to join her in the celebration. On the day of her party, five of her guests show up right on time; four others are a quarter of an hour late - and one shows up over an hour early - wearing a Halloween costume! The other nine guests wear casual party clothes like jeans and western shirts, but this oddball is dressed up like a devil, in a bright red suit complete with horns and a pointed tail!

The party gets underway, and Margo watches with nine of her guests how the odd-ball guest eats the strangest food, sings the oddest songs, and wants to play games that none of them have ever heard of. Finally, the time comes for Margo to open her birthday presents. Nine of her friends give her nice gifts like socks, a jump rope, even a harmonica. But nobody's gift is as big or as special as the one presented to her by her guest dressed up like a devil. And guess what? When the party is over, five of Margo's friends ride away in cars, four other ride bikes or walk, but only one stays to help Margo with the dishes - and that one, though he may seem like an oddball, is her best friend of all.

For anyone who loves a party, Jo Ellen Bogart's easy-to-read story will seem all too familiar - and funny. Carlos Freire's hilarious cartoon illustrations capture all the antics of Margo's party and will encourage beginning readers to count along with Margo as her guests arrive. What a birthday party! And Margo and her friends, especially the good-hearted oddball dressed like a devil, certainly know how to have a good time.