Mad as a Wet Hen!: And Other Funny Idioms [Paperback]

Marvin Terban (Author), Giulio Maestro (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Have you ever been so angry that you were mad as a wet hen? The meanings of 134 lively idioms are explained in this entertaining and useful book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6 Whether children find themselves ``under the weather'' or ``in the dog house,'' idioms are always with them. This playful look at our challenging lan guage provides definitions of 136 such col loquial expressions, including brief histor ical explanations for nearly half of them. As he did in In a Pickle (Clarion, 1983), Terban interprets some of the idioms which make English conversation so col orful and, at times, confusing. Maestro's two-color cartoon-like illustrations are amusing and informative themselves, pro viding visual clues that support the textual explanations. No one can help laughing at the obvious discomfort expressed by the anthropomorphic carrots as they are dropped ``in hot water'' by a benign-look ing rabbit chef. Although some of the ex pressions included are dated, the alpha betical index enables teachers and librarians to pick and choose. This book might be particularly beneficial in schools having a large ESL program, especially for older, more advanced students. It is a pleasant, although non-essential browsing item, useful as an adjunct to the language arts program. Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale,
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"It's not easy to find a book that will delight English teachers as well as young browsers, but this one succeeds admirably." Booklist, ALA

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; None edition (October 19, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899194796
• ISBN-13: 978-0899194790
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,534,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marvin Terban's popular wordplay books for Clarion include IN A PICKLE AND OTHER FUNNY IDIOMS and TOO HOT TO HOOT: FUNNY PALINDROME RIDDLES. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by this author!, January 1, 2010

By 

Todd Hagopian "CEO of the Hagopian Institute ... (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mad as a Wet Hen!: And Other Funny Idioms (Paperback)

Terban is one of the best in this genre, and this idiom book does not disappoint. You will enjoy the idioms, and the illustrations that fill this book. It is a pretty short book, otherwise it would have gotten 5 stars, but it is a good value for the price. You will enjoy this if you are looking for an idiom book to help teach your kids the language.

Enjoy!

Todd Hagopian
President/CEO
Hagopian Institute
Author of the popular "Quote Junkie" book sereies and the brand new "Idiom Junkie" series