Tom Skinner (2)Besprekingen

Great idea to combine silly phrases, puns, and cartoons with poetry - these should really encourage kids to start playing with words and ideas while having fun at the same time. My big objection is that it's so short. Ten poems and ten cartoons - probably could fit on ten pages. Even Dr. Seuss books are longer. Any child sophisticated enough to read these will want way more. Additionally, just as an aside there is a book on Amazon with the same title - Einstein's Cat. It's also poetry, although not apparently for kids.

Even though I would prefer he would grow out of it my son thinks farts are funny and loved this book. I found it very cute too. Even though I would prefer he would stop, my son thinks farts are funny and loved this book. I found it very cute too.

I had my son review this with me and he liked it but might be a little too old for it now. It is cute but think it is better for the younger kids.

what a cute book !

1.25★Super Snail Sale: The Power of Persistence by Tom Skinner

I won this R2R in exchange for my honest review, through LibraryThings Members Giveaway.

Where to start, I really have no clue. I'm torn on what to write. I read this myself and was like really, seriously, what is this? This book is geared toward children ages 4-8.

First off the main character is a snail named Slobadan Ivanovich the Third. I have no idea, why on earth, the main character or any character in a book geared towards 4 year olds, would have such a hard name. This is an age when children are repeat-learning, and that is a mouthful for an adult.

The phrases "Whaddyawant?" and "Geddouttahere ya pesky slug" are used. The man gruffs at him, growls at him, and kicks him. This does not seem kid appropriate, to me. Then in true door to door salesman form, Slobadan gets rude and pushy. He truly ends up being the slimy door knocker adults despise.

So that was my take on it. I thought maybe I was looking at it too harshly, and not through kids eyes. So I had to get some kids opinions. I gathered my 8 year old, and 2 neighbor kids(9 year olds). I read it to them not telling them anything about it. When I was done they were all giving me weird looks. And then the questions began.
*What kind of name is that? Little kids can't say that.
*Why's the guy so mean?
*Why did he kick the snail? That's not nice.
*What kind of words are those? My teacher would never let me use them.
*How can a snail carry a doorbell? They have no arms and are too little.
*Why did he go back. The guy didn't want one in the first place and you shouldn't be rude to customers.
*Why does the guy have a dungeon door on his house?
*What's a garden fork?
*Why is it mean, but has baby pictures?
*Why did he call him a slug?
*What's persistence?

So after like 30 minutes of explaining a book that took 2 minutes to read, this is what they came up with.
*The pictures are good for 4-8 year olds, but they could do the same on clipart.
*The story is not good for kids.
*You should always be nice to snails, they have feelings, too.
*"No," means no, so don't keep bothering someone.
*This is an example of annoying persistence.
*They liked the name The Ding Dong Doorbell Company, it's cute.
*But please, don't make us listen to it again.

When I asked them if they learned anything, they said "Don't be annoying."
When I asked what should have been done, they agreed he should have gone to the next house, better luck next time.

So all in all, I think the kids were more critical than I was. But I do have to agree with everything they said. They showed me they know right from wrong.

While the snail was persistent, it seemed to be more of an "I'll show you" or revenge persistence.

Thank you to the author for allowing me to read this, however I don't see this as a positive message for children. But it did start a informative discussion on how to behave and what not to do.

I really wanted to like this but, to be honest, I found it all quite confusing!
The idea is a good one, but the pictures weren't great and if this re-telling is meant for younger children, I think they'll have trouble figuring out what the moral actually is.

I found this rather interesting. Although the title puzzles me, I find the poems charming and I like the author notes. I think kids will like it, and find it relateable for sure.

Sadly, I wasn't charmed by this one. I was particularly disappointed to find that the striking title and cover illustration had practically no relationship to the contents of the book -- there were no poems to explore the theme of Einstein or of cats; the interior illustrations were single-color sketches. I did enjoy the author's notes placed just after each poem, but the poems themselves felt off to me. And I'm very uncertain as to how the intended post-literate child audience is going to relate to types of lettuce and plays on Usain Bolt's name.

A finished copy of this book was provided to me by the author through the Librarything Member Giveaway Program.

Nice and fun but really short ....can be interesting for first-time-readers

I agree with another reviewer: these poems are definitely goofy. Best recommended for very young children who seem predisposed to such goofiness, and for parents to read aloud rather than for the child to read themselves.

I need to first state that I’m not a big poetry fanatic. Mostly because I don’t usually get it and it can be difficult to teach to kids. However, I think most of my students would enjoy the poetry in Einstein’s Cat. I appreciated the humor and thought that the author’s notes were a nice touch. Deep Menace was my favorite probably because I’m still haunted by Jaws as an adult. I look forward to sharing these with my students this year.

I received this book through a Member Giveaway; however, the giveaway did not influence my review at all.

I enjoyed the artwork in this book. The colors and pictures popped on each page. It wasn't under or overdone. Depending on the age of the child, some of the concepts may be difficult.... early on, kids may not know where Wyoming is, in lower socioeconomical climates, children may not know what a Ferrari is. These poems aren't necessarily easy to read or remember. They almost seem like tongue twisters! There are also a lot of repetition within each poem. I'm not sure I enjoy the repetitiveness, given that children are being taught poems in school, and the phrases that are repeated throughout the poems seem to be fillers rather than anything actually needed.

Crocodile Rock is made up of 10 silly poems for children. I read them to my granddaughters since they would be the best judge of the poems. Their favorites were Calamari Ferrari and CupCake Quake, the rest were "goofy".

The poems were ok, not ones that children would easily remember or would want to memorize.

This was a Librarything giveaway and this is my honest review.

A book about passing gas. I know some of you may be grossed out by the mere mention if reading a book about farting, nevertheless, this children's book is cleverly done. It takes a little getting used to but you may just find this book enjoyable. Skinner uses rhyming rather well in this book on farting. I think with the right group of children they may find it funny. This book would be a nice way to ease some of the embarrassing moments of passing gas that children sometimes deal with. I think children will be tickled by the humor. The illustrations left a lot to be desired

This book of poems was cute and funny. I enjoyed reading the rhymes and I think that children will definitely enjoy this book too. I like that the rhymes are not run of the mill. I also enjoyed the bright and vibrant illustration they added character and charm to the story.

I read this book to my son after we ran out of Shel Silverstein and were looking for something funny to read. The poems have a very amusing bounce off of one's tongue. There was even a surprise poem at the very end, which just happened to be my favorite. Very cute book overall, and definitely most enjoyable when read out loud.

Slobadan Ivanovich the Third is a snail who does not know the meaning of giving up. He is a door-to-door salesman who is persistent. Fun, adorable read that will have you laughing out loud with your children as you read Super Snail Sale by Tom Skinner. The illustrations are wonderful with their color. Worth reading.

Crocodile Rock: Ten Silly Poems for Kids is a funny book of poems that have unusual themes to them. The poems will tickle your children’s funny bones with their rhymes and simple drawings. My favorite is Calamari in a Ferrari. Adorable!

As soon as I read the name of the snail, I immediately thought...'How would a child remember the snails name?' The name is quite difficult for kids to say, and a lot of the words used throughout the book are also difficult to say. I appreciated that the book was short, as kids' attention spans aren't generally that long.

Lovely ABC-book.
I really liked the cute drawings of the monsters and the short poems accompanying each letter. The puns are also nice for adults to try to figure out, and I definitely think it's a book that kids can read over and over and discover new things as they grow older.
The wordlist at the end is very useful, since I didn't know many of the words myself, so even for grown-ups it's still educational.

1.5★★Super Snail Sale: The Power of Persistence by Tom Skinner

I won this R2R in exchange for my honest review, through LibraryThings Members Giveaway.

Where to start, I really have no clue. I'm torn on what to write. I read this myself and was like really, seriously, what is this? This book is geared toward children ages 4-8.

First off the main character is a snail named Slobadan Ivanovich the Third. I have no idea, why on earth, the main character or any character in a book geared towards 4 year olds, would have such a hard name. This is an age when children are repeat-learning, and that is a mouthful for an adult.

That phrases "Whaddyawant?" and "Geddouttahere ya pesky slug" are used. The man gruffs at him, growls at him, and kicks him. This does not seem kid appropriate, to me. Then in true door to door salesman form, Slobadan gets rude and pushy. He truly ends up being the slimy door knocker adults despise.

So that was my take on it. I thought maybe I was looking at it too harshly, and not through kids eyes. So I had to get some kids opinions. I gathered my 8 year old, and 2 neighbor kids(9 year olds). I read it to them not telling them anything about it. When I was done they were all giving me weird looks. And then the questions began.
*What kind of name is that? Little kids can't say that.
*Why's the guy so mean?
*Why did he kick the snail? That's not nice.
*What kind of words are those? My teacher would never let me use them.
*How can a snail carry a doorbell? They have no arms and are too little.
*Why did he go back. The guy didn't want one in the first place and you shouldn't be rude to customers.
*Why does the guy have a dungeon door on his house?
*What's a garden fork?
*Why is it mean, but has baby pictures?
*Why did he call him a slug?
*What's persistence?

So after like 30 minutes of explaining a book that took 2 minutes to read, this is what they came up with.
*The pictures are good for 4-8 year olds, but they could do the same on clipart.
*The story is not good for kids.
*You should always be nice to snails, they have feelings, too.
*"No," means no, so don't keep bothering someone.
*This is an example of annoying persistence.
*They liked the name The Ding Dong Doorbell Company, it's cute.
*But please, don't make us listen to it again.

When I asked them if they learned anything, they said "Don't be annoying."
When I asked what should have been done, they agreed he should have gone to the next house, better luck next time.

So all in all, I think the kids were more critical than I was. But I do have to agree with everything they said. They showed me they know right from wrong.

While the snail was persistent, it seemed to be more of an "I'll show you" or revenge persistence.

Thank you to the author for allowing me to read this, however I don't see this as a positive message for children. But it did start a informative discussion on how to behave and what not to do.

This is a nice book about being adaptable and able to bounce back. The theme of perseverance is a great moral for children to learn. Nevertheless, I feel that the book was too short. I wanted to see Slobadan take on more challenges, with his gung ho resilient nature. I found the animations to be colorful and cute. I think kids will like this book.

This book does what it says. Tenacity, persistence and just plain old slogging on and never giving up as exemplified by a very long lived snail.
Qualities that are hugely underrated nowadays, but that will stand one in good stead.
Realistic targets for any child no matter their ability. Presented in a cheerful and colourful non-pansy style.

Loved the book, characters and above all the new words. I was happily surprised to see that the kiddish sounding words used in the book are real words, and have beautiful meanings. I initially requested this book for my 2.5 yeras old kid, but looks like, I might be the one opening it again and again to add these words in my vocabulary. :)

My son also loved the book and quickly associated himself with the characters. I also want to highlight the usefulness of the book, in that it used adjectives and other forms as well while teaching the alphabets and not just nouns - diversifying the scope of learning for the toddlers. This also immensely helps in understanding the "sound" behind the alphabet rather than rote learning. A double thumbs up.½

I truly enjoyed this alphabet book. It was a unique take on the usual alphabet books. Those books can sometimes be redundant but this book gave the alphabet flavor. I found the use of monsters to be cute. I really liked how each monster was very different and had their own personality, which was clearly evident in the illustrations.

I found the words to be both clever, fun, and engaging. Skinner has great use of rhyme. I loved the poetry feel of the book. I wanted to see what great word combination and rhyme would show up next. A is for apple, and B is for ball has become very stale, but this book has resurrected the alphabet book. With words like quango, tazzo, and vitta children and adults alike will be expanding their vocabularies.