Marsupial Sue Presents The Runaway Pancake: CD Inside!    by John Lithgow & Jack E. Davis Order:  USA  Can Simon & Schuster, 2005 (2005) Hardcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson John Lithgow brings back his popular Marsupial Sue in this new tale of the well-loved Runaway Pancake (he also narrates and sings the work on an enclosed audio CD). Marsupial Sue is putting on a play about the Pancake who ran away, singing 'No, no. / No, no, no. / I'm too fast, you're too slow. / Pan, pan, patty-cake pan, / I can get away from you, I can!' Jack E. Davis's illustrations (I love the headwear he uses as costumes for the play's cast of Aussie animals) show us a Pancake that looks very like a small boy engaged in mischief, and enjoying every minute of it. One by one, Pancake rolls past critters who'd love to munch him for lunch - Old Dog Tray (played by Bartholomew Koala), Cow (Sydney Wombat), Donkey (Winifred Wallaby), Wolf (Perth Platypus), Bear (Melbourne Sheep) - and naturally they all end up in the chase. But then the Pancake meets Fox (Neville, the Tasmanian Devil), who coaxes 'If you roll a little closer and you sing a little louder, I might better apprehend your expostulation.' Will that be the end of Pancake, you wonder? Almost - you need to open up Marsupial Sue Presents The Runaway Pancake, in order to see the play and find out. It's well worth the effort. John Lithgow gives it a spirited reading, and sings Pancake's verses as only he can in a live performance on the engaging CD that's included with this delightful picture book. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews