Customer Reviews

Sam Who Never Forgets

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sam Who Never Forgets By: Eve Rice

Sam is a zookeeper in charge of feeding the animals. Everyday at lunchtime Sam fills him wagon with food and sets off to care for the animals. Sam never forgets to feed the Giraffe, the Monkeys and all his other friends along the way. Sam's wagon is now empty but one animal is still hungry. Could it be that Sam has forgotten the elephant? How ironic, the elephant that never forgets remembers that she is still hungry. No worries, Sam never ever forgets he is on his way with a whole wagon full of hay just for elephant.

Sam Who Never Forgets is a great book for a younger crowd the pictures correspond well with the text, which gives children a clear picture. The art is plain and simple with bright colors. There is the appropriate amount of detail for young eyes; too much detail may pull their minds away from the story. The interpretation of the pictures is executed well. Rice shows a picture directly correlated with the text on the same page. Personification is another factor of Rice's book that will gain children's attention. According to Norton "..personification will help to introduce style to children..... personification is often reinforced through the illustrations." Rice shows the personified animals through both the text and the picture. The monkeys show their gratitude for their lunch by saying, "Splendid, Sam never forgets." Their thankfulness is further enforced by the smiles on their faces and bright eyes. The same theme is continued through the book until Sam seems to have forgotten the elephant. She is sad so she is drawn with a frown and droopy eyes. Showing animals with different expression helps children to understand body language. According to Caldecott terms for criteria, Rice's book meets all the qualifications. Her artistic technique is effective and done well for the target age. The pictures follow a theme and help to clarify the setting of the story. Rice's book does not need any other forms of media to be enjoyed, accept maybe a grown-up if the little one is unable to read. Overall, the book is a definite picture book. It is comprised mostly of pictures, which are enhanced by the text.

When my son was a year old I began reading him this book. It soon became a very important part of our daily point-to-things-in-pictures and reading routine. By the time he was two, I could probably have recited it in my sleep. Good for dramatic reading and detail finding, counting animals, talking about feelings. He's 23 now, and has been an avid reader all his life. I credit books like this one for a very good beginning. He does still remember this book. I'm getting it again for a friend's baby.

My infant son (now ten) absolutely adored this book, I guess maybe at least partly because of the bright colors. He would stare and stare and get all excited and giggly. And later he liked the story too. Not much of a story from an adult perspective, but boy oh boy does the author have a line to the hearts of the very small. I treasure our beaten and slobbered on old copy of this book like his hospital ID bracelet.

This is a favorite of my grandson. He loves to say "Sam never forgets" when we read this. A simple story, with a happy ending.

This book was a favorite when my children were young. I purchased 2 copies-one for my new grandson and a second for my nephew named Sam.

Great, great children's book. First read it to my oldest daughter 27 years ago and just gave it as a gift to a one year old. I love this book!

When my husband brought the book home when my first child was 2 years old, I was miffed. I like childrens books that have something for adults, and at first glance, this book seemed boring - it is repetitive, predictable, exceedingly simple. But these are exactly the elements that captivate young readers (and listeners). My now 6 year old loves reading it. My 3 year old has memorized it, down to "Deliciously good barks the seal". They read the book every night, and I learned to love it too.

My 6 year old's review...
"sam the zoo ceeper feeds the animals but not alwase because elefent tinks he dusent but elefint is rong cus Sam has a wagen full of haye. elefint hugs Sam. Sam hugs elefint. and nmo whon shud fruget but sometimse you do. so if you fruget next time remember. So that story teches you never to fruget and I think I love Sam because he never ever frugets."

It is so good to see this book available again. My children grew up with the colorful pictures and gentle prose of Eve Rice's tale. I think although the title is about Sam, the story is really about Elephant, who thinks he has been forgotten when Sam the Zookeeper feeds the rest of the animals. What Elephant doesn't know is that Sam has only gone off to get Elephant a special wagon full of the food Elephant loves. And isn't that what life is like? Real happy endings are not about getting what we want, but about getting Even More, often in surprising ways. I am getting this for nieces and nephews now, and will save a few copies for the I'm-hoping-for-someday grandchildren.

This is a very cute story with a moderate amount of predictability. The most difficult word is "deliciously" which would be a challenge for first grader, but could be accomplished with some assistance. The illustrations are simple, but clearly convey meaning while not crowding the text. The relationship between text and pictures is very good - the picture matches the text so that the reader can use it to help decode words. With short pages, short sentences, and only a few trouble words, this book lends itself to being used for a Running Record in Kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms. It is a complete beginner's book that young students can read on their own that does still have a real plot. Because Sam is a zookeeper and there are lots of animals in the story, that may help to arouse interest.

Why 4 stars?:
This is a nice beginner's book for those children just learning to read. It is a nice size for little hands to hold. The text is large, but does not crowd the pictures or vice versa.

"Sam Who Never Forgets" is an enjoyable story about a zoo keeper who is responsible for feeding the animals. The illistrations are fun, colorful and relate to the context very well. Around lunch time Sam feeds the animals. Each animal is happy to see Sam and never forgets to thank him. It is ironic that Sam seems to forget to feed the Elephant. No worries, Sam just needs a bigger wagon for all his food. This story is great for a younger audience who love animals.