Customer Reviews

Elbert's Bad Word

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My kids borrowed this book at the library and enjoyed it so much I am purchasing it. My four-year-old enjoys saying and creating his own expressive words - words that "sparkle and crackle." My two-year-old recognizes bad words and is learning acceptable replacements. He reads the book daily. They both tell everyone they meet about bad words. Again, the illustration of the bad word is excellent - much better than having used a word.

Course I will never be able to wash out my kids' mouths because they now know that won't get rid of the word. Replacing it with more appropriate words is what they have learned from this book.

If your child has ever "caught" a bad word, as a character in this book phrases it, then Audrey and Don Wood's "Elbert's Bad Word" is the cure you're seeking. Rather than being one of those pseudo-psychological books of the values and feelings genre, this is a lively, witty, sophisticated story that delivers its message with subtlety and humor. Even adults will love how the Woods have depicted the bad word; it's creative and clever to say the least. It also, and this children and adults will likely find enjoyable, satirizes adults' parties, poking fun at adult party foods, clothes and entertainments. Very enjoyable--and useful for the parent dealing with a case of the "bad word."

This is such a cute story for explaining bad words. We love the setting of a stuffy cocktail party. The pictures are great!

This is one of my favorites. It is a lively, imaginative book that is fun to read aloud. I just read it today in fact to a group of second graders and they loved it so much they all clapped at the end. You will captivate your audience and have opportunities to discuss a wonderful alternative to profanity that is logical. As one other reviewer said, this book does lend itself well to a follow up discussion or activity where children can come up with their own strong words. While I don't always appreciate Audrey and Don Wood's illustrative style as as much as others might, it is fun to look through how very elaborate and imaginative they are. You will likely notice new details several times after the first time you read it due to this aspect of the illustrations.

My Children love this story. The illustrations are delightful. We spend as much time looking at the pictures as we do actually reading the book. I wanted this for my own library because of the moral content and the topic.

From the creators of that more famous examination of cause and effect, The Napping House, though every bit as resounding. The title here refers to an ugly, bristly word a boy hears at an elegant garden party, which grows bigger and more irresistible the longer the boy carries it around. The word is never spelled out, but its alternative (cooked up by a bumpkin gardener who is also a practicing wizard) proves sufficiently compelling we may hope that our children remember at least parts of it. "Blistering hop toads!" for example. Joyous and modestly important.

As a teacher, and now a parent, I have an entire collection of children's books! One day I came across this book and decided to read it to my class of 4 and 5 year olds. And boy did it catch their attention! It was interesting even for me! And I couldn't wait to see their reactions to how it ended! Especially because we know that at that age they know what bad words are and some of them love to test it out! It definitely left them thinking at the end and everyone had the same question..... I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't read it, but let's just say that this book definitely made my collection of books ;-)

One of the greatest children's books of all time. The Woods have written and illustrated other books including The Napping House which is also a favorite of ours, but Elbert's Bad Word is our all-time favorite. The book deals with bad words in a creative and fun way. The story is wonderful and the illustrations are perfect. Your kids will love this book and you will enjoy reading it again and again with them.

I have two young boys (ages 6 and 4) so I'm always on the lookout for a book that reinforces good manners and behaviors to mix into our bedtime reading rotation.

Elbert's Bad Word tackles bad language, one of the less common behavior topics addressed in children's books. Author Audrey Wood brings the bad word to life first as "a small storm cloud...ugly and covered with dark, bristly hairs" that Elbert overhears at a garden party and stuffs into his back pocket (because he hasn't heard it before). A croquet mallet falls on Elbert's foot and he shouts out the word, which transforms into a large monster that shocks the party guests.

As punishment, his mother makes him scrub his tongue with soap.

Elbert searches out help from the family's gardener (his family is wealthy) who also happens to be a practicing wizard. The gardener introduces new words and bakes them into a cupcake that Elbert consumes before heading back to the garden party. Another croquet mallet falls on Elbert's foot and he shouts the gardner's words instead:

My stars! Thunder and Lightning! Rats and blue blazes! Suffering cats! Blistering Hop Toads! Zounds and gadzooks!

While I appreciate the author's intent the book is not without flaws. Few children will relate to the decadent garden party where "Chives the butler tripped on Madame Friatta's feathered boa." And the only standout character is the wizard gardener, who sadly is left unnamed.

In summary, Elbert lacks the charm necessary to connect with readers. However, this book manages to put a face, appropriately a monster's face, on bad language that children will find interesting. That achievement alone makes this book a useful resource for parents. Rating: Four stars.

You can't go wrong with any of the Audrey and Don Wood books, but this one is just so sweet. It tells the story of a little boy who attends a party and hears a bad word and then carries it around with him for a while. A series of events occurs in which he gets his 'great toe' smashed and thus uses the bad word. Punishment ensues and then Elbert visits a wizard who bakes him a special cake with all kinds of wonderful words he can use instead of the bad one.

Elbert returns to the party, gets his 'great toe' smashed again and then has an opportunity to use another bad word, but this time he uses the string of good words the wizard gave him. What is so sweet about it is that the bad word doesn't detach itself from him until he makes the choice to use good words in it's stead. I purchase this book often for the little people in my life and my children's lives.