Commander Toad and the Voyage Home [Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Commander Toad

After many long days in the dark of space, the crew of the Star Warts is thinking longingly of home. But when Mr. Hop sets a course for HOME, the spaceship zeroes in on an uncharted planet. The intrepid crew sets out to explore, and Commander Toad stumbles into an extraordinary discovery -- one that gives a new meaning to home. Join these much-loved characters in a toadally new adventure, full of groan-worthy puns and visual jokes.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Commander Toad and his crew return in another space adventure aboard the Star Warts. Having been in space for many days, the commander longs for his cozy hole by the lake. Mr. Hop, the copilot, likewise homesick, sets the course for HOME, while the ship speeds past constellations and planets, and through black holes, worm holes, and holes-in-one. Suddenly, the ship lurches, the alarm blasts, and the crew members literally leap to their stations. They have landed on an unmarked planet. When they discover that their ship won't budge, they jump in their sky skimmer and travel to a small mud island, where Commander Toad discovers links to toad history. With comic insight, Yolen captures the high drama of space fiction in a delightful story that never loses sight of developing readers, who will be old enough to get the jokes but still young enough to relish the goofiness. Illustrations by Bruce Degen add a nice touch. Shelley Townsend-Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069811602X
• ISBN-13: 978-0698116023
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #846,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Frogs & Toads

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."