Customer Reviews

Trupp: A Fuzzhead Tale

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

 

 

Trupp is a very cute critter- cuddly and curious, someone I would like to have visit my home. The "scientific" explanation at the beginning is cute and lends a touch of authenticity to the story- after all, Blancofelis dexterodactylus *must* exist if this kind of information is available on them. :-)

The story illustrates that many of us just don't see what we don't expect. Most humans are pretty wrapped up in our own lives, after all and wouldn't see Trupp visiting the city either. Of course, a lot of people don't see the homeless either so it's appropriate that the homeless people are the *only* ones who see Trupp.

Trupp gets tired quickly and wants to go home after only one night with the humans. Initially the ending felt very abrupt, but when I thought of how quickly children want to stop doing things sometimes, it made more sense. How many of us have spent an hour getting a child to an art exhibit or playdate, only to have the child ready to leave before we're even settled? That's the feeling Trupp's departure gave me.

This isn't the authors best, but the illustrations are charming. It can provide a springboard for discussing homelessness and other "different" people. Another reviewer stated that children don't expect a children's story to discuss homeless people, but if children see them around, they'll need to learn about them.

Trupp is truly a marvel! Not only is it beautifully illustrated like Stellaluna and Verdi, but it's also a very useful teaching tool. I use it to discus the concepts of compassion toward the less fortunate and the sad reality of the way our society tends to look right through what they don't wish to see. Trupp and Bernice (the homeless woman in the story) help each other out. There is a gorgeous double page spread that displays the contents of Bernice's shopping cart when it is tipped over. We see all sorts of things including diplomas, pictures of Bernice in her life before homelessness, and other objects that speak of what she used to have. This is a great starting place for discussions with children about why there are people living on America's streets. There's another character too that shows the unfortunate effects of the deregulation of our nations mental health institutions. Heavy concepts... yes! Heavy handed treatment... certainly not! Cannon is a genius in the way she handles these touchy subjects.

This story ended abruptly and left confused expressions on my daughters and my faces. AT first I thought that some pages were missing but this was not the case.
Also, the introduction at the begining made it seem like Fuzzheads are real creatures.
Stellaluna and Verdi are much better and truly can not compare to this book.
I have three other books by the author and am glad I borrowed this from the library first.

Hi my name is Mike and I like a book called Trupp. This is a book that is so funny. It's a book that is about a fuzzhead that travels a long way from home,and meets a homeless woman that helps him on his way. I like this book because it's funny, it has cool pictures. I think that this a good book for anyone to read!

The pictures make the book. My two year old loves to 'read' it, talking her way through the engrossing pictures.

I assume that Trupp lives near Lake Powell in Utah. We spent a week on a houseboat spotting Trupp in the Red Cliffs. I am sure if he wasn't so shy, he would have joined us for dinner one night.

It was a Friday afternoon and the students appeared to be tired. I planned on reading aloud only for 30 minutes. I was pleased to see that the students were engaged in the story that they insisted that I finish the whole book. I was impressed that they were able to sit through for almost an hour. When I was done, the students declared that they liked Trupp the best because the animal was cute unlike others in Cannon's books, which were either icky or scary for them (bat, cockroach and snake). They loved her illustrations and said that Trupp had beautiful blue eyes. Two students commented that Trupp in the story, actually a fictional animal called fuzzhead, looked like a combination of a cat and polar bear. The students made several connections with this story. They remembered a trip to downtown where the crowds were just like Trupp found himself in a crowd. One girl also mentioned that she had seen a homeless person carrying a cart like Bernice in the book.

I commend Ms. Cannon for being capable of doing something different and create a story about a fictional animal- it's a way to express her creativity as well demonstrate the importance of being creative.

Like other Janell Cannon books, Trupp is wonderful. The beautiful illustrations capture the interest of listeners even if the material is a bit mature for them (age 6). This is a book that will become a favorite over many readings. For adults, there is gentle wisdom and opportunities for conversations with children about compassion, diversity, understanding.

I read the story to my son Oliver and we both loved it. May I know if the fuzzhead actually exists or is it mythical? I think the readers of this delightful story would like to know more about fuzzhead. Any additional information available?

When I was a kid, I read a small book about trumpets -fuzzy elf monster like creatures. When I was an adult, I went looking for the book & couldn't find it. I finally found a copy of another by the same artist -Trouble for Trumpets.

This book is in a similiar vein. It has the rambly, adventure/ fantasy format that is very different from Cannon's other books.
This book probably was not intended for the young age group that reads her other books. (I would have liked this book when I was 8, but possibly not at age 5) Again, fans of fantasy would appreciate this more than realists.

Do fuzzheads exist? I know them more as fuzzmonsters, but they are still anthropamorphic felines. But mine are a little shorter, with brown, black or mottled fur & blend in the background when you look away. When you look back, they may or may not be still there. They move really quickly, so it's hard to catch them. So are they real? You either see them or don't. Art Bell (radio show/website) has interesting take on them.

If you liked this book, see if you can find Trouble for Trumpets
by Cross/Dallas-Smith, Patrick Woodroffe and James Christianson.

TRUPP is a horrid deviation for Ms. Cannon, whose other works delight and entertain. The artwork is, of course, wonderful, brilliant and full of vibrant color. The story, however, attempts to illustrate the difficult topic of homelessness, not the typical subject of a child's story. Although I must applaud this attempt, in all honesty, the story is just not terribly interesting nor compelling. My own daughter found it rather boring, particularly in comparison with STELLALUNA or VERDI.

As evidenced by earlier reviews, it is apparent that some readers are confused by the use of the mythical Fuzzhead. It's an interesting deviation from the natural world of Ms. Cannon's other protagonists, but it seems rather artificial and strange, although it was necessary in order to enter the human world in which the story takes place. Personally, I don't have a problem with the Fuzzheads, but I didn't really find them appealing. Neither did my daughter.

Simply put, you may well love this book, but my family has not added it to our library, being content to allow the public library to keep it for us. :)