Toad on the Road
A Cautionary Tale
by Stephen Shaskan
Harper, 2017. 32 pages.
Review written in 2017.
Here’s a book that cries out to be read aloud in a storytime. There’s a toad in the road! Four different critters in alliterative vehicles come down the road toward the toad, and we’re encouraged:
Everyone shout:
Look out! Look out!
Then we’ve got a spread-filling “SKID! SCREECH! BAM!”
No, the toad isn’t hurt, but the other creature has run off the road and crashed. And they now scold the oblivious toad:
Hey, little toad, get out of the way!
You could get hurt. That’s no place to play.
Vamoose! Skedaddle! Without delay!
What do you think your mama would say?
The final animal is the toad’s mama! And she’s driving a tow truck to take away the other crashed vehicles. They smile when they see each other, and she gets him off the road with a hug.
There are little blips where the rhyme isn’t perfect – but my main impression of the book is that I have to try it at my next Toddler Storytime. I can’t wait to have everybody shout, “Look out! Look out!” And the bonus is that it’s a fun way to talk about how the road is not a safe place to play.
stephenshaskan.com
harpercollinschildrens.com
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Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.
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