Robbie has toys. Robbie has books. But Robbie does not have a snake. I need a snake now, he tells his mommy. But Mommy will not give in. Robbie still persists. Using a shoelace from his mommy's closet, his sister's green jump rope and his daddy's new belt, he comes up with a clever solution that convinces his mommy that snakes can be very nice pets--as long as he's there to take care of her. The author/illustrator team of Mommy Go Away!, which Horn Book in a starred review called a hilarious, ingenious picture book, treats a small child's yearning with sensitivity in this humorous celebration of imaginative play and the special relationship between parent and child. Lynne Jonell lives in Plymouth, MN. Petra Mathers lives in Astoria, OR.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
From the team that produced Mommy Go Away! comes a story for slightly older readers. Robbie yearns for a snake, but his mother won't grant his wish. She's unsuccessful at mollifying him with the usual parenting tacticsAgiving him a book about snakes, taking him to the reptile section of a museum, stopping at a pet storeAbut her refusal turns out to have a silver lining. Robbie, drawing on his imagination, conjures up a zoo of snakes from his mother's shoelace, his sister's jump rope and his father's leather belt. "I still think they are scary," says Mommy at the conclusion. "That's why you need me," Robbie sagely replies. Jonell understands the passions of boyhood ("Why does the snake eat the mouse headfirst?" asks Robbie with a sweet smile as Mommy "looks slightly sick"), and her observations harbor a dry wit that parents will recognize. Mathers's crayoned, stick-figure characters (placed in more detailed settings than in Mommy Go Away!), effectively telegraph the story's more complicated action and emotion. For example, after Mommy denies him a snake at the pet shop, the boy's simple dot eyes register utter despondency as they peer over the edge of a bus window. But while adults will appreciate the sophistication underlying Mathers's work, some audience members may dismiss the style she adopts here as babyish. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2AWhen young Robbie decides he needs a snake, his squeamish mother is reluctant to comply. She reads him books about reptiles, and then takes him to a museum and a pet store, but still insists that he cannot have a real snake until he is grown up with a house of his own. Robbie, however, is resourceful; he finds his own snakes in the form of a shoelace, a jump rope, and a belt, as well as a solution that satisfies them both. This book is a true commentary on a loving parent-child relationship. The text is hand lettered and the oil-pastel illustrations look as though they were drawn by a gifted youngster who understands perspective and graphic design. Robbie and his mother are simple stick figures, yet their faces are filled with expression. The boy's creative spirit will win the applause of the many children who have unsuccessfully begged for a pet.AAngela J. Reynolds, West Slope Community Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
delightful,
By A Customer
This review is from: I Need a Snake (Hardcover)
I loved this book. This story shares both Robbie's and his mother's feelings with humor, and you sympathize with both of them. Robbie solves his problem using his imagination, something kids really appreciate. The drawings are also darling, bright and colorful. This is one book I didn't mind reading more than once at a sitting.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great kids book,
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This review is from: I Need a Snake (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)
My kids love this book. Easy read great for a quick bedtime story. Cute illustrations. Love the guy with a tattoo that worked at the pet shop
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Robbie had tovs. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Robbie had tovs. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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cites this book:
- Mommy go away! p (Picture Puffins) by Lynne Jonell in Back Flap
- It's My Birthday, Too! (Picture Puffins) by Lynne Jonell in Back Cover
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