Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating [Hardcover]

Alice Weaver Flaherty (Author), Scott Magoon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Once upon a time, on a long, slow trip to Scotland, a little girl named Katerina-Elizabeth tossed her oatmeal overboard—again, and again, and again. She was a picky eater, and oatmeal was her least favorite food.
And once upon a time, a small worm, no bigger than a piece of thread, swam alongside an ocean liner bound for Scotland and ate bowl after bowl of tossed oatmeal. He had never tasted anything as wonderful as oatmeal in his whole life. A. W. Flaherty and Scott Magoon unravel the Loch Ness legend in this whimsical picture book for the picky (and not-so-picky) eater in all of us.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Marbled endpapers paired with sepia-tinted illustrations help to create an old-fashioned setting for this timeless tale that is set in the days when people wore greatcoats and hats and traveled on ocean liners. A girl is traveling alone to visit her grandmother in Scotland. Trouble arises when she tosses her dreaded morning oatmeal overboard, only to attract the attention of a tiny sea worm that gobbles it up and immediately quadruples in size. With endless meals of oatmeal tossed overboard, the creature grows larger and larger as does its friendship with the child. Once the ship arrives in Scotland, it proceeds up the River Ness. This pourquoi tale about how the Loch Ness Monster came to be has a lot of imagination and wonderful storytelling techniques. Dark, cartoonlike watercolors exhibit an excellent use of perspective. The simple, yet quirky narrative is nicely paired with a clever and creative layout. A folksy tale that should enjoy broad appeal.—Judy Chichinski, Skyline Elementary School, Tacoma, WA
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About the Author

SCOTT MAGOON is an art director who has written and illustrated several acclaimed picture books, including Hugo and Miles in I've Painted Everything. He lives in Reading, Massachusetts.

A. W. Flaherty is a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who also teaches at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block, and the Creative Brain. A. W. lives with her husband and twin daughters near Boston.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (September 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618556443
• ISBN-13: 978-0618556441
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,635 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 A zany, fun Loch Ness story offering quite a different premise., November 4, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating (Hardcover)

A.W. Flaherty's THE LUCK OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER: A TALE OF PICKY EATING enjoys fine drawings by Scott Magoon as it tells of a little girl who tosses her oatmeal overboard all the time. She's a picky eater - but a small worm who swims alongside an ocean liner bound for Scotland finds much good about her throw-aways - too good, perhaps... it's a zany, fun Loch Ness story offering quite a different premise.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Hate Oatmeal!, January 14, 2008

By 

A. Russell "bibliogirl" (masachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating (Hardcover)

This is a fun book to read to kids who are picky eaters. Since they have probably never tried oatmeal, this might entice them to take a taste, maybe (who knows; they might like it!). It also sheds some light for parents who get frustrated trying to get their kids to try new food.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Fun Origin Story, October 10, 2009

By 

M. R. Nelson "M. R. Nelson" (Salt Lake City, UT, USA/ EUA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating (Hardcover)

I have had the book for a while, but my wife just read it to my boys for the first time last weekend. She loved it. Well, my boys already love it, and that is why they asked my wife to read it. The author and artist do a wonderful job at creating a history for the Lock Ness Monster.
Anyone with kids will love this book (and so will the kids).