The Lizard Man of Crabtree County [Hardcover]

Lucy A. Nolan (Author), Jill Kastner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999 | Age Level: 5 and up

James becomes the unwitting source of wild rumors that a Lizard Man has appeared in his quiet rural community.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-"Exciting things don't happen very often in Crabtree County." Then James Arthur ties branches to himself, pretending to be a shrub, and Miss Bunch sees his shadow on her barn and imagines there's a Lizard Man on the loose. As the boy tries to track him down, each of his subsequent efforts only adds more fuel to the rumors. When James finally uses his sea-serpent float to tempt the creature with a Lizard Woman, the float is punctured by a rosebush, Miss Bunch sees it flying over the hedge into an Alabama shrimp truck, and she assures the town that the Lizard Man has left. Everyone settles down again, except, of course, clueless James Arthur, who feels he has missed out on all the excitement. This is a clever story that relies on the illustrations for its explication. James is shown tracking the green monster on one page, while the next shows Miss Bunch and the townspeople jumping to wrong conclusions. The deadpan text never explains the mistaken assumptions, making the book best suited to slightly older youngsters who will be delighted to get the joke as each incident unfolds (sometimes an adult may need to hint at the truth). The humorous oil pictures are large and colorful, mostly on double-page spreads, showing James Arthur as an appealing, mischievous boy. A worthy purchase that would make good storytime material for small groups.
Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Nothing ever happens in Crabtree County until the day James Arthur dresses up as a shrub, gets his underpants full of bugs, rushes down to the pond to rinse off, and is spotted by near-sighted old Miss Bunch who thinks he is a lizard man. James Arthur, not realizing her mistake, sets out to capture the lizard man, and in doing so, unknowingly leaves ``clues'' that others take as evidence of the lizard man's existence. As the tongue-in-cheek tale gets more involved and absurd, it will have emerging readers predicting what happens next, following the action, and out-thinking James Arthur and the whole town. The vibrant oil illustrations often provide viewers with unusual perspectives, from a duck's-eye-view of fire trucks to an overhead shot of James Arthur's balloon dinosaur. This is terrific fun for story hours, with a droll text that is constantly rebutted by the pictures. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corporation; First Edition edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761450491
• ISBN-13: 978-0761450498
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,682,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for kids who think nothing ever happens to them, July 10, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lizard Man of Crabtree County (Hardcover)

Lucy Nolan's wonderful "The Lizard Man of Crabtree County" is perfect for the kid who thinks nothing ever, ever happens. James Arthur is such a kid, living in Crabtree County, when one day he hears from his mother that someone has sighted, well, a LIZARD MAN! James Arthur is terrifically excited and decides to keep an eye peeled for the creature. But the harder he tries to spot him, the less luck he has.

It would be giving away too much to say anything more, but suffice it to say that both author Nolan and illustratur Jill Kastner have a terrific sense of humor. Kastner's thickly painted, colorful illustrations suit the text beautifully and add a visual element of laughter to the funny story. Great good reading all around, especially for kids who think that life is just one great big yawn.

5.0 out of 5 stars What a HOOT!, September 3, 2004

By 

muslima (maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lizard Man of Crabtree County (Hardcover)

If the number of times a child begs you to read a story is any indication of her enjoyment of it, then be prepared to memorize this one line-by-line, because if you don't, she will! We enjoyed this story of a litle boy making an adventure out of an imagined "horror" so much because of the great illustrations and the build-up to his final discovery. What makes the author's deadpan humor understandable to a child is if you read it in a twangy, southern "bubba" style. That alone will get your kid laughing. There's nothing like using different voices and dramatic inflections to help a child understand and "get it". This is one book you must add to your child's library!

1.0 out of 5 stars Either we're ALL dumb, or...., September 29, 2001

By 

"andreauren" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lizard Man of Crabtree County (Hardcover)

I've read this book countless times - neither myself, my husband, or my son understand it. We're not stupid, we swear. I SO wanted to like AND understand this book. Maybe the subtlety is better suited for a YA or adult novel???? I don't know. For our tiny family, there's nothing worse than a book that makes us feel stupid.