Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads by Bob Shea and Lane Smith

The book clarifies this on page two, so I’ll jump right in so everybody understands. Yes, Drywater Gulch had a problem with toads, but not the croaking, hopping kind. No. Drywater Gulch had a different sort of Toad problem. The Toad brothers.

“Why, those Toad brothers would steal your gold, kiss your cattle, and insult your chili. Hootin’, hollarin’, and cussin all the while.”

Now that’s a problem. The mayor was at a loss. Until … until …

Hope rode into town. Slowly. A boy, wearing white, riding a tortoise, and declaring himself the new sheriff. After all, he knows a lot about dinosaurs.

Okay, okay, I hear you. You were interested in the whole wild west thing, bad guys kissin’ cattle and all, and then you read about the tortoise and the dinosaurs and you were like, “Seems a bit sketchy to me. I don’t get it.”

Trust me. Kid Sheriff might not handle a shooting iron, ride a horse, know any rope tricks, or stay up past eight, but he makes a spectacular sheriff. When the bank gets robbed, the mayor suspects the Toad Brothers, and rightfully so. But Kid Sheriff declares it to be the work of T. rex. The stagecoach must be the Toad Brothers, right? Nope. Velociraptors.

Then the Toad Brothers themselves show up in town bragging - or trying to brag - about their antics, but Kid Sheriff has the real explanations. Cattle kissin’? Triceratops. Shoplifting at the mercantile? Allosaurus. And the chili insultin’ varmint was none other than Stegosaurus.

Now the Toad brothers are at a loss. How’s a nasty, gun-slingin’ gang supposed to get credit for their nefarious ways if gold stealin’, cattle kissin’, and chili insultin’ ain’t enough, dadgummit?!?

While you might not see a connection between a tortoise, dinosaurs, and the criminal old west, if you are already familiar with Bob Shea and Lane Smith’s work, you know a collaboration between these two author/illustrators will be something special. Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads delivers a goofy story, dastardly villains, a clever hero, and a hilarious and satisfying conclusion in all its absurd glory.

Cowboys. Dinosaurs. Heroes. Villains. What’s not to like?

Not a dad-burned thing. Consarnit.

It's a Book by Lane Smith

There’s not much more to share about the book that isn’t available in my first or second posts, so I’ll just tack on my review here.  I think the book is absolutely hilarious, and I’m talking about the pages between the introductory Jackass and the concluding Jackass.

Are we really living in a world where some people have forgotten about books?  People certainly haven’t forgotten the importance of reading.  Try taking away someone’s texts or tweets or blogs.  That’s reading.  People read more today than ever before.  But there’s still value to books - the plain old, hard bound, paper and ink book.  Maybe I’m just biased … okay, I am definitely biased … but I think everyone should see the importance of books.  Even a Jackass.

Of course Lane Smith and Roaring Brook Press knew exactly what they were doing.  First, the book is a spot-on commentary on technology in today’s world and perfectly illustrates what happens when a great book grabs the attention of the reader.  Second, using Jackass in the manner they did guaranteed publicity and sales.

And there’s the rub.  I believe most teachers will find the book a great tool to use with students to spark discussions on technology, books, and reading in today’s world.  I believe most teachers will find it entertaining.  At the same time I also believe that most teachers will hesitate or flat-out refuse to use the book.  So while I highly recommend the book and think it’s hilarious, the choice to use it (and potentially defend it) is yours.

I find it extremely frustrating that a book with so much potential for classroom use will simply not find a home in classrooms, not because it doesn’t belong there, but because some people will think it doesn’t.  In the end it’s the teachers and librarians who will need to defend their use of the book to parents, principals, and school boards.  And at the end of the day, most teachers will simply say:

It's a Book by Lane Smith - Survey Results

A few days ago I set up a simple survey about It’s a Book by Lane Smith.  It is admittedly a very unscientific survey, but it gathered some information, and that was the intention.  (Here’s my original post and the survey.  Opinions are still welcome.)  Here is a summary of the results.

All the respondents were either teachers or librarians, but several people checked numerous boxes, like the teachers who are also parents.

Completed Surveys = 32

Was it funny?  Yes = 31  No = 1

Have you read the book?  Yes = 25  Read about it = 7

Should it be in a school library?  Yes = 11  No = 16

Should it be in a public library?  Yes = 28  No = 2

Teachers who would read it aloud to their class:  Yes = 1  No = 7  Yes, but edited = 16

Librarians who would read it aloud to a group: Yes = 1  No = 5  Yes, but edited = 2  Maybe = 1

Parents who want the book read in their child’s class:  Yes = 0  No = 4  Yes, but edited = 3

About half of the respondents left comments, and most of them focused on the use of the word Jackass.  Here’s a sampling:

• I’ll use it as long as I don’t have to deal with any angry parents.  I already have enough to do.
• Teaches them slang.  Throw it out!
• Concerned about the word "jackass?" Nope. WE HAVE TO MAKE OUR KIDS WANT TO READ BEFORE WE CAN MAKE THEM READ WHAT WE WANT THEM TO!
• Is that kind of book "commentary" really meant for younger kids? I don't think so…I think we should discourage the use of disrespectful language and labeling, which I think the use of the word jackass exemplifies.
• The Jackass aspect ruins the book instead of making it better.  It wasn't necessary.
• I feel that it is a funny premise, but it is divisive. It seems to miss its audience and therefore misses the point. I don't think most children would get anything out of the book other than "jackass." I love what he is trying to do, but I don't see how his message will get to the masses when teachers and school librarians can't read it aloud or stock it in their library.  Having the book in schools is a fight many librarians will choose not to start. I am sure they push the boundaries as far as they feel they can with many of their choices. There's no point in unnecessarily ruffling feathers WITH A PICTURE BOOK. Could he have gotten his point across any other way?  I think if he had chosen any other humorous joke, it would have made the point because he is LANE FREAKIN SMITH!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.  Anyone who would like to share their opinions can still complete the survey or leave a comment below.  Thanks again.

It's a Book by Lane Smith - Survey

There’s been a little buzz recently - or maybe it’s significant buzz, whatever - about It’s a Book by Lane Smith.  First, an introduction to the book thanks to the book’s trailer (or you could just keep reading):

And that’s it.  One plugged-in, tweeting, blogger type character is curious about this book-thingy that another character is holding.  He is only able to see the book through his technological frame of reference, and therefore is unable to understand its simplicity.  How do you use it?  What does it do?  How does it work?

Okay, that’s not it.  Not really, at least in the eyes of many.  The book trailer leaves out one little detail.  Here, the title page introduces the characters.

Now maybe you’re saying, “I can live with that.  Donkey, jackass, whatever.  Teachable moment.”  Or maybe you’re saying, “Oh for crying out loud.  Jackass?  Is that really necessary?”  Either way, you read through the book and notice all the technological terms that are so significant in our lives and our children’s lives today.  You see how Jackass can take a page from Monkey's book, Treasure Island, and rewrite it using only twenty-nine characters, emoticons included.  Then you witness his apparent transformation as the book completely captures his attention.

But when he promises to charge it up when he’s finished, Monkey and Mouse have had enough.  Mouse tells him on the penultimate page, just like the book’s trailer, “You don’t have to…” and completes his statement on the last page:

And now I’m curious.  What do you - teachers, librarians, parents, students - think?  Is the book worth all the hubbub, Bub?  Should it be used with students?  In libraries?  At home?

I’ve created a very simple, very short, very anonymous survey to gather some opinions.  Please take a moment - 90 seconds, tops - to share your opinion below, and be sure to click SUBMIT at the bottom.  After I’ve gathered some information, I’ll share my complete review and whatever findings I find.  Thanks in advance.

Madam President by Lane Smith

“A president has many duties,” begins Madam President. What follows is a day in the life of the president, illustrated through the life of a typical elementary school girl.

From giving executive orders to attending state funerals, this young president is just as busy as the actual president. Just because her executive order has to do with waffles and the state funeral is for Froggy, doesn’t mean she’s not busy. Do you think negotiating a peace treaty between Cat and Dog is easy?

Every president must choose a capable cabinet. If you’re president, I guess you are allowed to personalize your cabinet as well. Sure, there’s the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of Education. But why not add a Secretary of Pizza and Secretary of Soccer? And just for good measure, why not choose Mr. Potato Head as Secretary of Agriculture?

Madam President has dark shaded secret service agents and press conferences and disasters to tackle and the wonderfully wonderful power to veto. Tuna casserole for lunch? “Veto!” Little House on the Prairie the Musical? “Veto!” (This kid’s earning my vote.)

At first I wondered if Lane Smith’s book would be an anything-boys-can-do-girls-can-do-better kind of book. It’s not. Not in the least. Madam President simply explains the responsibilities of the president through the eyes of a kid. And the kid happens to be a girl. The boys in my class as well as the girls craned their necks to find the secret service agent in the illustrations and to check out the Secretary of the Interior.

And every one of them knew exactly what it’s like to deal with a not-so-secret communication declaring their room a disaster area.

Big Plans by Bob Shea & Lane Smith

I like this kid. Not that I see anything familiar in him or anything. Just because he's sitting in the corner of his classroom at 3:01 and the chalk board is covered with his assigned "I will not..." sentences, doesn't mean I immediately recognize something familiar or that I flashback to any one particular incident. Oh, no … a-hem … nothing like that. I just like him.

He's got big plans.

“Plans so big I’ll need Dad’s shiniest tie and fanciest shoes. Then I’ll climb atop the highest hill in town and shout, ‘I GOT BIG PLANS! BIG PLANS, I SAY!’”

As he spends more time in his corner of the world, he comes up with more plans that will affect the entire world. “I GOT BIG PLANS! BIG PLANS, I SAY!”

What does a young man with big plans need?

1. A Yes-Man – He meets an agreeable mynah bird.
2. Power – Local big shots, bigwigs, and muckety-mucks support his big plans.
3. Prestige – He scores the winning touchdown for the home team.
4. Position – He becomes mayor and president president (as opposed to assistant president).
5. A Great Hat – Even Davy Crockett would be envious of his skunk-skin cap.

Now, fully supplied, the boy finds a way to pronounce to the whole world, “I GOT BIG PLANS! BIG PLANS, I SAY!"

What else is a boy sitting in the corner after school supposed to do? Throughout the history of schools there have been a whole lot of kids in corners thinking, “Someday, when I get older, you’ll see. I’ll show you!” and this young man is making some seriously big plans to do just that.

Students will read along with teachers. “I GOT BIG PLANS! BIG PLANS, I SAY!” they’ll announce together with our protagonist. (Or antagonist, depending on your perspective.) They’ll even continue announcing it. “I GOT BIG PLANS! BIG PLANS, I SAY!” you’ll hear from the hallway and the playground.

On subsequent readings, take a close look at the pictures. Lane Smith includes hilarious details. Check out the Idaho potato space suit and the Pennsylvania rocket ship. Notice the humble look on the mynah bird’s face when he realizes the president will answer to him, and how Mr. Bird takes over the president’s official seal. There’s even a phone number on the boy’s cell phone. (Go ahead. Give it a call.)

“I GOT BIG PLANS! BIG PLANS, I SAY!” Everybody should! Right now my plans include using Bob Shea's book in the classroom.