Big Bob and the Magic Valentine's Day Potato (Hello Reader! Level 3) [Paperback]

Daniel Manus Pinkwater (Author), Jill Pinkwater (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000 | Age Level: 6 and up | Series: Hello Reader! Level 3

Big Bob, Big Gloria, Tina Tiny, and Billy Thimble put their heads together to come up with an exciting class project for Valentine's Day. Their reward? A visit from the Magic Valentine's Day Potato, of course!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Valentine's Day is coming. Mr. Salami announces that the class will be making pretty valentine cards for everyone. Big Bob and his friend Big Gloria have a big reaction. "Boring," Big Gloria whispers. She can tell that Mr. Salami's heart is not in it. Time to stir things up a bit. Enter the Magic Valentine Potato. "It brings valentines and potato chips to good children. Everybody knows that," Big Gloria tells her befuddled teacher. Valentine's Day will never be the same once Big Bob and Big Gloria--and the Magic Valentine Potato--are through with it. Beloved author Daniel Pinkwater (The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, The Big Orange Splot, etc.) makes a terrific contribution to early reading in this Hello Reader! Level 3 (Grades 1 and 2) storybook. The witty plot and unusual subject matter, coupled with age-appropriate vocabulary and sentence length, will encourage children to read and read and read! Jill Pinkwater's friendly, warm illustrations are every bit as inviting as the story. (Ages 6 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590632752
• ISBN-13: 978-0590632751
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel Pinkwater lives with his wife, the illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater, and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Pinkwater Winner, November 10, 2006

By 

Spudman (Pasadena, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Big Bob and the Magic Valentine's Day Potato (Hello Reader! Level 3) (Paperback)

This is one of four books in a series of potato themed holiday celebration stories featuring a reprisal of the same characters.

It is good natured, unconventional and lots of fun. The low key humor is wonderful and appeals to kids of a wide age range. Some of the vocabulary may be difficult for young readers, but repetition, picture clues, and use of words in context are very helpful.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of all the Big Bob books, September 26, 2005

By 

Timothy D. Shoppa (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Bob and the Magic Valentine's Day Potato (Hello Reader! Level 3) (Paperback)

This book is Daniel Pinkwater's best in a series that's aimed at first/second grade readers. (My preschool son loved it too.)

Unlike the other Big Bob books, where Gloria and Mr. Salami battle over whether to have a "potato-themed" holiday celebration vs a "traditional" one, in this one Mr. Salami embraces the classroom conspiracy, arranging for the Magic Valentine Potato to visit the classroom. "I thought you made it up", Big Bob asks. Gloria responds "I thought I did too!"

The potato-ink-stamps and Mr. Salami's thin disguise add to the appeal for both kids and adults.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in the Series, February 26, 2005

By 

hotbiscuitsandsweetmarie "hotbiscuitsandsweet... (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Bob and the Magic Valentine's Day Potato (Hello Reader! Level 3) (Paperback)

This is the best of the Big Bob books. My kids love the story. We even made a Magic Valentine Potato costume so my 6-year-old could deliver potato chips to his classmates on Valentine's Day! The humor is deadpan, and the story is more interesting than most early reader material.