Offering a compendium of laws "that just plain don't make sense," this volume pairs zany illustrations of some "crazy" laws with occasional dry paragraphs devoted to questions like "Why Do We Have Such Crazy Laws?" and "What Is the Oldest Set of Laws Ever Written?" Griego (Christmas Is for Me) uses funky, rainbow-colored letters to emblazon each silly statute across the top of a drawing; his cartoon characters flout the laws as often as they abide by them. Most involve animals: "Trout fishing is against the law if you are sitting on a giraffe's back. (Idaho State Law)"; here the giraffe wears glasses, and a hooked fish says, via voice bubble, "What a day I'm having!" Another scofflaw, a girl wearing a large hair bow, is shown tying a crocodile to a fire hydrant (illegal in Michigan). "What if someone really did
tie a crocodile to the fire hydrant in front of your house?" the essay on the next page asks. "Okay, so that probably won't happen, but wise laws—like those against stealing, murder, and arson—help people live together peacefully." Although first-timer Linz's light-hearted approach may help open up the issue of civic duty, it may also frustrate curious readers as they are left to guess how and when the particular laws here originally made it onto the books. Ages 6-10. (Sept.)
