I'm Bad! [Hardcover]

Kate McMullan (Author), Jim McMullan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

So freeze, fuzzies—take cover, critters—'cause Kate and Jim McMullan's ravenous reptile has just one thing on his mind: dinner.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2—What could possibly equal the McMullans' audacious garbage truck in I Stink! (2002) and the brazen backhoe in I'm Dirty! (2006, both HarperCollins) for unadulterated attitude? Why, a towering, tough-talking T. rex, of course, complete with "rip-'em-up CLAWS," "bite-'em-up FANGS," and "Bad breath." (And don't even think of making fun of its "baby arms.") This creature is really big, "6-tons-of-MUSCLE-on-the-hustle BIG," with a "BIG empty belly growling for GRUB." Despite the beast's bravado, however, its attempts at catching prey are repeatedly—and hilariously—foiled. The predator's state of mind moves from arrogance to despair on a wonderfully illustrated psychedelic spread awhirl with forest foliage and easy-to-spot edible critters that the frustrated T. rex can smell but can't find. As the great hunter lies on its back having a tantrum, a vertical fold-out page is lifted to reveal the reptile's even bigger mother, who provides a bit of "takeout" for her grateful child. Vibrant artwork done in bold shades of green, orange, and violet equal the swaggering text in tone, energy, and humor. Whether devoured during a boisterous storytime or consumed independently, children will eat this one up.—Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
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From Booklist

Like the bragging, swaggering vehicles in the authors’ previous titles, such as I Stink! (2004), the tyrannosaurus narrator of this picture book is all boasts: “I’m REALLY bad. Scare-the-tails-off-all-the-other-dinosaurs BAD.” After showing off his mighty features, somewhat defensively (“Did you just call me BABY ARMS? Long as yours, pal—20 times stronger”), the dino hunts unsuccessfully for a meal, and his bluster wears thin: “Am I ever gonna eat again? There’s gotta be food in the forest . . .” There is. And it comes from Mom, who appears in a dramatic fold-out page that shows her towering size, amplifying the surprise that the dinosaur speaker is a pint-size youngster. As in I Stink! the high-energy illustrations and macho narrator’s words create a rowdy, crowd-pleasing whole. Children will delight in the dinosaur’s wild expressions and the dynamic text, filled with comic-book sound effects. Pair this with David Ezra Stein’s Monster Hug (2007), which includes a similar transformation of hulking monster into cuddly kid. Preschool-Grade 1. --Gillian Engberg

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061229717
• ISBN-13: 978-0061229718
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dinosaurs

More About the Author

Kate McMullan is the author of many books for young readers, including I Stink!, winner of a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor; I'm Mighty; and Meg's Prairie Diary, a historical fiction trilogy set in St. Louis and Kansas in 1856. She has been fascinated by the Lewis and Clark Expedition since the age of ten, when an uncle told her about an ancestor who had gone on the expedition. That ancestor was sixteen-year-old George Shannon. Ms. McMullan lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York, with her husband and collaborator, noted illustrator Jim McMullan, their daughter, two cats, and a dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun picture book with an unexpected ending, April 24, 2008

By 

lenore531 (Wichita, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: I'm Bad! (Hardcover)

This tyrannasaurus wants you to know that he's bad! He's stinky, mean, and the king of the dinos. So why can't he seem to get any food?

Boys especially will like this tale of a mean ole dino that may not be as mean as he wants you to think he is.

With dynamic illustrations and fun language, this is a book to get all riled up over.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even a 21-month old can memorize it., July 24, 2008

By 

Genene Murphy (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Bad! (Hardcover)

Before you crack the spine, consider two things: your kids might beg/plead/bribe you to read it again and you may have to explain to strangers why they're confronted with devilish grins, asking, "Are you bad?"

This tale of a buck-toothed carnivore brings to life the sights, sounds and silliness of dinnertime in prehistoric suburbia. Imagination runs rampant. And adjectives fly off the page in descriptions that scream. For example, our favorite friend asks the reader: "Are you bad? I'm REALLY bad. Scare-the-tails-off-all-the-other-dinosaurs BAD. Got rip-'em-up CLAWS. Got bite-'em-up FANGS. Bad breath? YeaaaHHHHHHH." How great is that?

Before you deem him too scary, remember that this little guy holds a soft spot for his Mom. (And it really is the perfect Mother's Day book.) At the end, you may smile with delight and beg/plead/bribe your kids to listen again. This wacky, wordplay must-have gaurantees to illicit smiles and surprises. Again and again.

5.0 out of 5 stars Boys and girls love it, December 25, 2011

By 

Robin (North Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Bad! (Hardcover)

It's funny and cute. My 3 kids love it and I have 4 year old twins--boy and a girl and my 8 year old daughter loves it to. It gives the reader a chance to really perform. We first got it at the library to different times because the kids liked it so much. Finally we put it on my son's wish list and the girls were also very happy when he got it.