Customer Reviews

Commander Toad in Space

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Commander Toad is a delight. He's "bold and bright", though not quite as bright as he thinks. His crew (an amalgam of loose takes on Star Wars and Star Trek characters) puts up with his prideful ways, because he is, after all, a good leader. Together with his mixed-gender crew he gets into and out of a wonderful series of scrapes. This book is the first in the series.

Jane Yolen writes for kids. For example, when Commander and crew are threatened by a sea monster who makes it clear that they're about to be lunch, I asked my 4-year old what he thought would happen.

"Shoot him with a ray gun," he answered.

"I don't know," I said. "I think that they'll find out that the monster's just lonely, and they'll make friends."

Turn the page, and BAM! Lt. Lily, Toad's female weapons master, is blasting away (to no effect). Thanks, Jane. Only you could make a story about a bunch of space-explorer frogs be true-to-life.

Jane Yolen also writes for the adults who read books to their kids. There's nearly a pun a page, and the Commander's ludicrous solutions to problems have a germ of genius unrestrained by the laws of physics that will have you shaking your head over his cleverness.

Buy this book, or regret the lost opportunity.

It's the best Commander Toad book! I like them all. They all are great. The monster in this one was cool.