More Parts (Hardcover)

by Tedd Arnold (Author, Illustrator) "Things are bad - and getting worse!..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
For fans of Parts, Tedd Arnold returns with More Parts, continuing the theme of twisted idioms that strike fear in the heart of the uninitiated child. For example, when Dad asks his son to "Please give him a hand!" the bug-eyed boy is shown holding his unhinged appendage by the thumb.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Gr 1-4-Through zany, brightly colored illustrations and rhyming verse, Arnold explores common figures of speech that amaze and frighten a young boy. "I'll bet that broke your heart," "give him a hand," "Hold your tongue," and "jumps out of his skin" are only a few of the sayings that worry the protagonist, whose imaginings are energetically depicted in colored-pencil and watercolor washes. Goofy, cartoonlike artwork explores the deepest recesses of the child's overwrought and overworked imagination. Kids will love faces cracking, lungs being coughed up, and bodies flying apart. Vivid color and a robust artistic style will attract younger children who may not get the joke, but older children and parents will. Singsong verses in hand-lettered text strain to rhyme in some instances, with a forced, uneven gait. Although the boy's parents reassure him, the story ends where it begins. The father, who "didn't mean to be unkind," tells the child that they were afraid that he'd lost his mind. The final drawing has the boy's brain falling out of his head and onto the floor. This story is like a wild and crazy, totally manic Amelia Bedelia. Children will ask for it again and again.

Alice Casey Smith, Sayreville Public Schools, Parlin, NJ

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803714173
• ISBN-13: 978-0803714175
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #555,784 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please Try and Hold Yourself Together....., October 24, 2001

By	Roz Levine (Virginia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Our young narrator tells us: "Things are bad-and getting worse!/Each day it's something new./With all the stuff I hear about/I don't know what to do." Why just yesterday his toy truck wrecked and his mother consoled him by saying, "I bet that broke your heart." He didn't even know hearts could break apart. Maybe wearing a big pillow will keep it safe. And then his dad asked him to please "give him a hand." He didn't know hands came off, so he decided he'd better wear gloves and use lots of glue to keep them on his arms..... Ted Arnold has really outdone himself with this clever picture book that explores figures of speech. His witty, rhyming text is full of energy and humor and complemented by marvelously bold and expressive artwork depicting each worrisome idiom. Youngsters will laugh out loud as they watch the narrator try to "keep his head together", "hold his tongue", "scream his lungs out", and "jump out of his skin." In the end, his parents reassure him by explaining that these figures of speech are just descriptive expressions. But the story ends just where it began when dad adds that he's glad they cleared up this misunderstanding, "We thought you'd lost your mind." Perfect for youngsters 6-10, More Parts is a delightful, very visual, manic romp that shouldn't be missed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ajrnurse, October 23, 2001

By	"ajrnurse" (plainview, new york United States) - See all my reviews

This book is hilarious-and oh- my 5 year old son loves it too!!The pictures of a little kid imagining what adults in his life could possibly mean as they tell him to "hold his tongue", or could he please " give his father a hand", are wondeful-I don't know who laughs more, my son or myself!!Enjoy this book!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Our family loves this book!, January 10, 2006

By	A. French "Mommy 2 3" (Tacoma, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: More Parts (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

Our kids (7, 3 and 2) LOVE this book! They laugh every time we read it together - which is often. So often, in fact, that our 3 year old has most of it memorized. The story is about a little boy who becomes very concerned about some of the strange things he hears the adults around him saying, like "Hold your tongue!" and "Please give me a hand!". The illustrations of these idioms are hilarious! Bravo to Tedd Arnold for a very entertaining book for kids and adults!

Warning: This book is ONLY for parents who don't mind reading the same book over and over again! My 3 year old is sitting next to me as I finish this review, repeating parts of 'More Parts' and asking me if we can read it AGAIN! :-) We highly recommend 'Parts' also. The two together would make a great gift! We're not so crazy about 'Even More Parts' though.