A Little Pigeon Toad [Paperback]

Fred Gwynne (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

"Mommy says Dad is a little pigeon toad." This and other homonyms are interpreted with literal illogic in zany illustrations by the multitalented Fred Gwynne. Full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following up his successful books on homonyms ( The King Who Rained , A Chocolate Moose for Dinner and The Sixteen Hand Horse ), Gwynne allows a bewildered girl to narrate some perplexing developments. "Grandma says our four bears came from Scotland," is paired with a picture of four bears in kilts, doing a Highland fling. Manholes, naval oranges and a coat that is "a little thread bear," are just some of the amusing twists of the language that Gwynne illustrates with the literal-minded images of a child. The pictures are surprising, and revealed in a rapid-fire pace, until the little girl concludes "Yarns like these are hard to swallow!" as she spools spaghetti-like strands of wool around a fork. This is fun and inventive fare for all ages. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8 Using homonyms and figures of speech, Gwynne has created a rib-tickling collection of word-and-picture jokes sure to delight readers. Similar in tone and spirit to his A Chocolate Moose for Dinner (Prentice-Hall, 1987), this one cleverly combines lively and humorous full-page color illustrations with carefully chosen words that have double meanings. The young girl seen throughout this light-hearted volume lends continuity and helps to tie the text together. As narrator, she shares with readers her misconceptions about things that adults have told her. For example, the sentence, ``My teacher says I get along well with my piers'' is accompanied by an illustration of the child sitting on the edge of a boat dock. A couple of the witty offerings are a bit more subtle, however, and may require a bit of explanation for less sophisticated readers. The humor in the little girl sewing college pennants to illustrate ``In Sunday School they say when you are bad you should do pennants'' may be lost on children unfamiliar with the ecclesiastical term. However, the selections of less-than-obvious humor are in the minority and should not deter librarians who wish to add a fresh, sparkling title to their English language collections. Bonnie Wheatley, Emma Conn Elementary Sch . , Raleigh, N.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671694448
• ISBN-13: 978-0671694449
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #637,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars playing with language and taking it literally!!, April 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Little Pigeon Toad (Paperback)

One of the masters of illustrating the ridiculousness of English, Mr. Gwynne has done it again by taking common idioms and interpreting them literally. The reader accompanies a young girl through all sorts of different, funny English sayings and phrases and takes them all literally. In the one that is the title of the book, she stand off in a field looking at a strange animal that has the body, legs and wings of a pigeon, but the brown, bumpy head of a toad. On a beautiful 2-page spread are three grizzly bears wearing kilts and tams dancing to the music of a fourth bear who plays the bagpipes. The text reads, "Grandma says our four bears came from Scotland." Meanwhile, Daddy wants a pool table and there are three feet in a yard.

As a teacher, I love to use this book to illustrate how funny and confusing English can be, even for a native speaker! When reading the book I tell them about the time when I was in elementary school and listening to the news reports of "gorilla warfare." Usually I ask students to compose and illustrate their own literal interpretation of common phrases ("hit any key to continue" is a perennial favorite).

Readers who enjoy this book may wish to check out some of the other, similar play on words books by Mr. Gwynne, such as "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner" or "The King Who Rained." Another excellent author readers may enjoy is Jon Agee and his books like "Who Ordered the Jumbo Shrimp? And Other Oxymorons." Beautifully illustrated and very funny, this book is highly recommended.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for teachers, parents, and children alike!, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Little Pigeon Toad (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful guide to literal humor. I have read it to my all my classes, ranging in age from 1st grade to 5th! Everyone enjoys it! After reading it, children often want to create their own literal humor!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Humorous Homonyms, November 14, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Little Pigeon Toad (Paperback)

A Little Pigeon Toad is a humorous picture book written as a series of single sentence vignettes that take place in a little girl's mind. Homonyms are used throughout this story and they confuse the little girl who interprets what her parents say differently than what they meant. Gwynne's book illustrates our ridiculous English language; for example, "Daddy wants a pool table," shows a table with a pool in it and everyone's swimming. The illustrations are literal interpretations of what the little girl thinks her parents are saying.
The words, easy to read, short and very simple, are intended for an audience between grades 3 and 5. But, adults or older readers would also enjoy this book.
Gwynne wrote and illustrated 13 other books: The King Who Rained, A Chocolate Moose For Dinner, The Sixteen Hand Horse, The Kings Trousers, and Easy to See Why. He attended Harvard and worked as an illustrator before starring as Herman on the TV show "The Munsters". Gwynne died in 1993.