Butterflies in My Stomach and Other School Hazards (Hardcover)

~ (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–4—A nameless little boy braves the first day of school in this crisply illustrated picture book. The text is a series of idioms that take him through the day, from waking up "on the wrong side of the bed," to having a "long face" at lunch, to being "happy as a puppy with two tails" when he finally comes home to his dog. The illustrations interpret each idiom literally, often to comic effect: "we'd be in a real pickle if we missed the bus" is accompanied by a pickle-as-bus picture, while meeting the "Big Cheese" shows a principal wearing a dress made of Swiss cheese. Bloch's graphic style incorporates photographs of objects into pen-and-ink drawings, and the copious use of white space keeps the focus squarely on the words and their visual interpretations. Wallace Edwards's Monkey Business (Kids Can, 2004) covers similar territory, but with a much more elaborate illustration style that goes more for humor than understanding. Here, Bloch's simple though imaginative pictures and clean visual style invite discussion of the deeper meanings of these oft-used phrases, making this an ideal book for the classroom or for one-on-one sharing.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
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From Booklist

Taking metaphors literally is always fun, especially for young kids, for whom the images are fresh. Bloch’s clear pen-and-ink drawings with occasional photographic collage do a great job of juxtaposing fact and feeling in the wry scenarios that illustrate the literal meaning of common sayings. In one scene, for example, a young boy has ants in his pants and is laughing his head off, even as the teacher tells him to zip his lip. Whether beginning preschool for the first time or returning to grade school after vacation, readers will recognize the panic and the fantasy of being top banana, the joy of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, the need to bottle up your feelings, and the nurse who keeps an eye out. The slapstick fun with words and pictures will appeal to preschoolers, but it is older grade-schoolers who will enjoy exploring the ways that words work. Preschool-Grade 2. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (August 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402741588
• ISBN-13: 978-1402741586
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,732 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute book!, September 3, 2008

By	lainibug (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This is a very cute short story about a boy's first day at school. The 1-2 lines of text on each page include a commonly used metaphor like "cat got your tongue", "wrong side of the bed" and, of course, "butterflies in your stomach". The pictures, simple line drawings with color photo accents, visually depict the literal meaning of the phrase, like a cat running away with a pink tongue. You get the feeling you're seeing what the boy is imagining.

I would say this book is better for introducing the idea of a figure of speech than curing first-day-of-school worries, although it could be a starting place for that discussion as well. Younger children who are still concrete thinkers may not grasp the humor of the literal vs figurative use of the words. I would say most children would enjoy this from about 1st grade on up; it would be fun for older kids when learning about metaphors in English class. It made me smile:)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming, but a bit long, March 4, 2009

By	MG (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Reminds me of The King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne from when I was a kid and loved. I love the clear and simple pictures in t"Butterflies". I also like that the author has made all the figures of speech tie in to a topic kids can relate to--starting school. But I think many kids haven't heard of many of these expressions, so it's more fun for adults or older kids kids (upper elementary?) to read. Otherwise you first have to explain what being "in a pickle" means before kids would get the joke that the people are inside a pickle in the picture.