Mmmm... Jam.

John Vernon Lord, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1972

This book will forever remind me of Dr. Turner's office. He was our local dentist. I remember sitting in the waiting room for checkups and reading this book. When the town of Itching Down becomes infested with wasps Mayor Muddlenut calls a town meeting to brainstorm a way to deal with this intolerable nuisance.

Then Bap the Baker leaped to his feet
and cried, "What do wasps like best to eat?
Strawberry Jam! Now wait a minute!
If we made a giant sandwich we could trap them in it!"

The entire story is written in rhyming couplets which add to the spirit of this playful tale. The illustrations have that late 60s, early 70s style I love so well. Freaky food stories always make good children's books. This one reminds me a little of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett