Theme: It is better to listen to some foolishness then to block out everything because valuable information may be missed; thus, resulting in a problem.

Plot: Mosquito tells Iguana that he saw a yam that was bigger than himself. As a result Iguana becomes aggrevated by what he considers to be a stupid story, so he plugs his ears with two sticks. Unfortunately, this sets forth of a chain reaction of misunderstanding as Iguana does not return Python's greeting. Thus, Python scares the rabbit who alarms the crow who alarms the monkey who accidently brakes a branch which falls on and kills a baby owlett. Consequently, Mother Owl will no longer call for the sun to rise. Finally, the animals of the jungle get together to find the responsible party for the owlett's death.

Characters:

• Iguana - Doesn't consider that by putting sticks in his ears he may miss something important.
• Python - Paranoid for his own safety, but lack consideration of how rabbit might feel when an uninvited snake enters his burrow.
• Rabbit - Reacting to a potential threat in a natural manner.
• Crow - Reacting naturally with regard to jungle protocol.
• Monkey - Reacting naturally with regard to jungle protocol.
• Mother Owl - Acting as a loving mother, so she wants justice.
• Lion - King of the jungle; thus, he leads the investigation.

Illustrations: This book was the 1976 Caldecott Award winner; therefore, it makes sense to say that the creative animation of the animals is outstanding and the illustrations can tell the story on their own. Of coures, the text and illustration work best together for total enjoyment.

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