Customer Reviews

Toes

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Toes is a GREAT book!!!! I LOVED IT!!!! AND I WANT TO KEEP IT!!!! AND IF I WANT TO KEEP IT IT MUST BE GREAT BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE TO READ!!!!

I came close to skipping this book because of some of the reviews, which warned me that the book might be upsetting to an overly sentimental cat mommy like myself. But the beautiful friendship between Toes and his dad made all the sadness of reading about Toes' early life worthwhile. It reminded me of my relationship with my cat. (Like Toes, he is a music lover who enjoys getting close when I practice my singing.) Toes and Minerva are the enraptured audience of a lonely, self-critical classical violinist, and Toes' brave action in disregard of his own advancing age bring a wonderful change to his dad's life. Toes and Minerva themselves develop a caring, touching friendship, despite the natural enmity between their species. The theme of the aging and loss of a cherished animal companion, although it will sadden a loving cat mom (or dad), was handled sensitively and caringly.

I have to respond to the "Reader in Vancouver" who slammed this book. My daughters, who are 8 and 6 (and advanced readers, as well as cat lovers) loved this book, and so did I. No, Toes's abilities are not realistic, yet neither is the book a magical fantasy. It's more the sort of story one would make up about a beloved cat. I cried at the end, when Toes is dying, but it's important for children to learn that death is an inevitable part of life. Toes's death is sad, but his life and what he does for his friend, the musician, mean that his memory will live on. I would especially recommend this book for families where a beloved pet (or family member, for that matter) is growing old. Its lesson might help provide comfort when a child has to deal with grief.

Tor Seidler writes another touching and realistic book about the relationship between human and animal.Toes shows more humanity than many humans in the way he cares for his frustrated "new" owner, the classical violinist. A must read for 5th grade and up. Well done!

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"Toes"
Written by Tor Seidler
(Harper Collins, 2004)
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This is a well-written and utterly heartbreaking story about a gifted cat, named "Toes" because of a mutation that gave him seven toes on each paw. Shunned by his siblings, Toes becomes a bit of a loner and "weird kid," sitting in front of the TV rather than endure their taunts and torments. A clever kitten, he secretly learns to work the TV remote and teaches himself English by watching all the daytime shows - a media-rich education that serves him surprisingly well in the real world, when fate sends him outside. I don't want to give away the *whole* plot, but suffice it to say that this is a very absorbing, emotionally rich book with a very sad (dead cat) ending. The final act of the book deals with the inevitable doom of Toes, who is clever but has bad genes, and ranks up there with hard-to-read-out-loud super-sad classics such as "Charlotte's Web" and the final "Winnie The Pooh" story. If you can handle tragedy, this is nonetheless a rich and rewarding story... Recommended! (ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

A litter of cats is born into the McDonahue family. One kitten is shunned by the rest of the litter and becomes a favorite of the family due to his physical appearance and intelligence. The unusual kitten is named Toes because he has seven toes on each foot instead of five. The family soon realizes that Toes is not an ordinary cat. He loves listening to classical music, watching sports on TV, and riding in the car. His brothers and sisters are jealous of the attention that Toes receives from the family. They tease him and exclude him from all of their activities.

Toes is tired of being shunned by his siblings and decides to leave the McDonahue house. He sets out on an adventure one evening and takes refuge from the rain in the basement of a run-down house. A struggling musician named Sebastian soon befriends the extraordinary cat. When Toes learns of Sebastian's musical ambitions, he devises a plan to help him.

The lovable feline in TOES will steal the hearts of children, and the heartwarming ending will touch all readers, both young and old.

--- (...)

Another Review by Girl Scout Troop #888

Toes by Tor Seidler is about a black cat who was born with seven toes on each paw making him very different from the rest of his family. Toes was different in more ways than his toes. He liked to watch TV and became very smart. He enjoyed living with the McDonahues until an unfortunate event sent him out into the world and into a new adventure. The book teaches you not to give up and to keep trying. And that you can find friends anywhere. There are some sad parts but all the girls in our troop really liked reading Toes and could not put it down. This book is a 5th grade reading level and there are some really hard words. Even the moms did not know some of the music terms. We definitely recommend this book because we all liked it and our troop has all different reading levels and interests. Our next book review will be Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Dicamillo.

this book is very well written and nice excepet the end is a tear jerker but oveerall the book was very good.

It is a well written book, but my 10-year-old daughter who loves cats was sad when Toes didn't get to be with his family because he got lost when he was 7 months old. *spoiler* Then she was devastated when the cat DIES when he is only 7 years old. We get to "be with him" as he watches the world fade out. Turns out the rest of his litter died when they were FIVE years old. As another reviewer wrote, it is not poignant, it is depressing. Line from the book, "He's dead, isn't he." "There's a dead cat in the yard!" My daughter was heartbroken. We got this from the library and I'm sorry I hadn't read the reviews first.

*******SPOILER ALERT**********
This is not a book for people that like cats or other animals. It's not heartwarming, but is instead depressing. Unless you would like to read a book that is totally unbelievable (it doesn't just ask you to "use your imagination") with a "reward" for reaching the end being that they are going to kill off Toes after making him suffer and leave his owner/friend in a depressed state (and wondering where Toes is), then skip this book. If you want to read good books or have your kids read good books about animals with amazing abilities, then read the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. In the mean time, SKIP THIS BOOK ENTIRELY!!! Do not judge this book by it's cute cover picture. That's the only good thing about it.