Old Cricket by Lisa Wheeler (0-689-84510-3) is a great picture book for reading aloud. Old Cricket, who is attempting to avoid work lies about the many aches and pains he has. Of course in the end it all comes back around, and he gets caught in his own lies. The illustrations by Ponder Goembel are large, vibrant and clever. The pictures combined with the rhythm and repetition in the story make this book worth sharing.
I plan to use this book when reading this fall with the kindergarteners and 4-year-olds at the school. It is a little wordy and involved for the toddlers I tend to get for my story times.