Commander Toad And The Dis-Asteroid (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Commander Toad (PB)) [School & Library Binding]

Jane Yolen (Author), Bruce Degen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Commander Toad (PB)

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Commander Toad and his spaceship Star Warts answer a mysterious call for help from a flooded asteroid.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3 Yolen treats beginning readers to another episode in the adventuresome life of the lovable Commander Toad. An SOS message which reads, "Help. Help. Beans swell. Beans bad," leads Toad and his crew to the depths of outer space in search of an ailing asteroid. Their journey takes them to a world completely inundated by water. Ultimately he learns that the land is flooded because rains have caused beans to swell and to clog all the drains. Being the natural hero that he is, Toad takes command of the situation and saves the asteroid by deflating all the beans, thereby unclogging the drains. Illustrations accompanying the text alternate between three-color and black-and-white cartoon-style drawings. Independent readers will enjoy Commander Toad's latest adventure. Joan Hamilton Bowman, Bucks County Free Library, Bensalem, Pa.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 62 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0808534289
• ISBN-13: 978-0808534280
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,051,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hold on, the planet is going down the drain!, February 6, 2001

By 

Pamela (Dubuque, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Commander Toad and the Dis-asteroid (Paperback)

This is probably the most disappointing of the Commander Toad books, which my sons, ages 4 and 8, truly ENJOY and even beg for! It is a fun read, but not as outstanding as the other books in this series.

The crew receives a message from a planet inhabited only by doves. It turns out that their beans have swollen and clogged the storm sewer drains, causing the entire planet to flood. Very far-fetched, indeed.

The birds sent an SOS to Star Fleet when their wings grew tired from having no place to land. Mistaking their bird language, Commander Toad's crew brings a shipload of beans, which the birds don't really want. They just need dry ground on which to rest.

In the end, Commander Toad saves the day by swimming underwater to pierce the swollen beans with his official Star Fleet gadget. Then he must hold on to a statue of the Mayor while everything unattached goes down the drain! Swallow your disbelief!

The reason this book is not as good as the remainder of the series is because, in a few cases, the pictures don't mesh with the story. I.e. the text says Doc Peeper goes to the planet's surface, but the image doesn't show him in the sky skimmer. Also, the plot is even more oddball than usual.

Incredibly fun series of books. Try _Commander Toad and the Space Pirates_ or _Commander Toad and the Intergalactic Spy_.