An imaginative boy thinks he's a spy and sees adventure in everything, even a day filled with laundry, a trip to the shoe store, and napping.

The premise of this book is clever, but I felt it didn't work so well in actuality. The child who is known as S.A.M. (Secret Agent Man, although perhaps his name is actually Sam as well?) is accompanied by an adult known only as K. ("short for Kay"). Is Kay a much older sister? stepmother? foster mother? Who knows? The book doesn't elaborate. While I would be happy to see any of these other 'non-traditional' figures represented, most kids are expecting a mother and I think might need an explanation of who this other person is.

In fact, a lot of this book predicates on understanding all the double-meanings. I read it aloud with a rather smart 7-year-old who is usually quick on the uptake and his conclusion at the end of this book was an unsolicited "I don't get it." I was sorry to have to agree. It felt like I had walked into a sequel without reading the original, although as far as I could tell, this is the only book featuring S.A.M. and K. A second reading still didn't elucidate K.'s exact role, although the rest I could explain.

The illustrations are in a stylized fashion that suggest an action movie, and I do like how a dark overlay accompanies all the imagined scenes while the real-life ones are bright and colorful. ( )

More pre-k/preschool than school age read aloud. I love how the illustrations alternate between normal live and then the spy life, complete with masks and dark clothing. The imagination of the boy as he goes shopping with his mom for shoes is adorable and realistic plus the mom totally plays along!! LOVE that. Great for storytime read aloud, maybe for school age. ( )