No Jumping on the Bed! [Paperback]

Tedd Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1987 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Walter lives near the top floor of a tall apartment building, where one night his habit of jumping on his bed leads to a tumultous fall through floor after floor, collecting occupants all the way down.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, no jumping on the bed," Walter's father admonishes. "One day it'll crash right through the floor." Like all young children, Walter is unable to resistand, to his astonishment, he finds his father was right! Down and down Walter tumbles, wreaking increasing (if cheerful) havoc in apartment after apartment, and picking up fellow travelers as he goes. At the end, it's up to the reader to decide whether Walter's trip was real or dreamedthough a clever final twist argues for the former. A takeoff on a familiar and usually idle warning, this should be a hit with anyone who has battled over jumping on the bed. Arnold's illustrations, in a style reminiscent of William Joyce, richly depict the nighttime lives of the apartment building's various inhabitants and skillfully capture the sensation and perspective of tumbling through space. Textual puns and subtle visual jokes make this a bedtime story worthy of repeated readings. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A bedtime story worthy of repeated readings." (Publishers Weekly) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (September 30, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803700385
• ISBN-13: 978-0803700383
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,806,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Elmira, New York, Tedd grew up in a family of six with three brothers. His family lived on a farm in Pennsylvania for several years then returned to Elmira until Tedd was ten years old. His father's work then required that they move to Gainesville, Florida. There, Tedd's first art lessons in an abandoned dentist's office over the Happy Hour pool hall eventually led to a fine arts degree from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Carol, started their family in Tallahassee where Tedd worked as a commercial illustrator. Carol, a Kindergarten teacher, drew Tedd's attention to children's books. Their first son, Walter, inspired his breakthrough picture book, No Jumping on the Bed!. His second son, William, now stars in No More Water in the Tub!, a sequel to his first book. He has now published more than 30 books as author and illustrator. When not working on his books, Tedd's interests include tennis, sketching, reading, coin collecting, and the computer."The inspiration to begin writing and illustrating for children came from my wife, Carol. As a kindergarten teacher, she collected picture books. I was attracted to their colorful pages and the way the words and pictures played with each other, much like the captioned cartoons I had drawn when I was young."Perhaps the biggest surprise of my career as an author is that I'm now going back to elementary school! Visiting young readers in classrooms and libraries is something I love. Kids keep me on my toes and they ask a lot of questions. The number one question seems to be, 'Where do you get your ideas?' It's also the hardest question to answer because every idea is different. Some ideas seem to pop out of thin air -- while I'm in the shower or walking the dog. Others come from reading or research. But most of my ideas come from my family and the things they do and say."For instance, one time when my first son, Walter, was five years old, I found him lying on the couch, looking pale as a ghost and clutching a Bible to his chest. He was praying! When I asked what was wrong, he wouldn't answer. In fact, he wouldn't even open his mouth. My wife, Carol, finally coaxed a response from him: he pointed inside his mouth. Carol exclaimed, 'You have a loose tooth!' Walter's eyes nearly popped out with fright. We quickly assured him that it was perfectly okay for his tooth to come loose and that a new one would replace it. But Carol and I looked at each other and realized that despite all our efforts to be good parents, we had somehow completely forgotten to warn Walter that teeth fall out! He had thought he was falling apart! I made a little note in my journal; then ten years later, I expanded that memory into my book Parts."Tedd Arnold lives in Elmira, New York, with his wife, Carol, two sons, Walter and William, two cats, Cody and Frankie, and one dog, Hershey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sure to capture your pre-schooler's attention!!, October 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: No Jumping on the Bed! (Paperback)

What child hasn't jumped on a bed? This delightful and fanciful story of a boy who crashes thru his bed and down successive floors in his apartment building captures the attention of even the most energetic child. Lilting language is sure to capture the attention of adults as well, while adding to your child's language development. Written for the author/illustrator's son, this one is a favorite in my classrooms.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Absolutely LOVE this book!, September 13, 2008

By 

C. R. Licastro - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

With Green Wilma being such a hit with my grandaughter, I sent for this book and a few others by the same author. Well, this one is the favorite (tied with Green Wilma)and I have to agree..I love this book too! The story is so simple: a boy falling through the floor, picking up people along the way. I dare you NOT to laugh at the funny pictures and the sound-a-like names, which get funnier as they get closer to the end! I had to read this book 3 times last visit and we laughed as hard the 3rd time as the first!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dream- maybe, August 25, 2001

By 

Catherine Hallberg "(Kate)" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Jumping on the Bed! (Paperback)

I cringed the first time I heard "Five Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed"- what mom doesn't? Tedd Arnold explores a different scary aspect of bedjumping, probably one that many children who live in old houses or buildings have thought about- What If The Floor Breaks?! In addition, he caters to the voyeur in children. Don't most children wonder what their neighbors do and what their homes are like? Mine do. The illustrations are charmingly blocky- like Lego people. The animals are cuddly. Everyone rhymes. The theme is very funny to little people- Imagine visiting all your neighbors through the floor! Walter is viewed in our household much as an actor is- my children have noticed that he is also Ollie in "Ollie Forgot". We like that continuity of players in our books. I know that children have to learn that dreams aren't reality; that "what happens during the night" is not really something that happens. Interestingly, Tedd Arnold messes with young minds just a little by making them wonder what is reality and what is a dream.