The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash: Amazon.ca: Trinka Hakes Noble, Steven Kellogg: Books

Product Description

Book Description

When Jimmy's unusual pet accompanies him on his class trip, an ordinary jaunt to a farm turns into a hilarious, slapstick romp. "A top-notch choice that children will not be able to put down."--Booklist, starred review. Full-color.

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
"How was your class trip to the farm?" Read the first page

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Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Think of it as "Memento" done as a picture book, May 24 2004

By

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash (Hardcover)

Long ago, when I was young and innocent in the ways of the world, I first heard of "The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash" on the popular PBS television show Reading Rainbow. After LeVar Burton introduced the child viewers to the nature of farms and farm life we listened to a reading of this book and I took a great deal of pleasure in its pictures and storytelling. Unfortunately, television was then (and remains today to be) incapable of displaying this book properly. Like all Kellogg illustrated creations, the story is filled to the brim with tiny delightful details that compete with one another for the viewer's attention. Reading this book on my own some twenty odd years later, I can finally settle down and enjoy this combination of delicate text and fantastic illustrations as I was menat to all those years ago.

A girl comes home to make herself a sandwich and chat with her mom after a long day on a class trip to the farm. The girl's story works backwards at the beginning. Slowly, tantalizingly, she leaks out the details of the trip. After all, it didn't really get exciting until the cow started crying. When asked, the girl admits that the cow was crying because the farmer hit a haystack on top of her. Why did he do that? Well, he was distracted by the pigs that had overrun the bus. And so it goes. Slowly the mother gets the full story of how fellow classmate Jimmy took his boa constrictor (a dew-eyed sweetie pie of a snake) to the farm and how all havok broke loose as a result. In the end, Jimmy left the boa there and adopted one of the pigs that never left the bus. The parting shot is of our narrator, suited up with Jimmy in silver racing outfits, barreling down a park path with the new pet pig in the back seat.

Kids reading this story get the double pleasure of watching chaos reigning in a farm setting and of reading a rollicking good story. Is there anything a kid likes more than to see a teacher covered in eggs? Or to view the cute animals that make up the farm? Kellogg has a way of drawing cats that I've never seen paralled. Who else could draw wide-eyed smiling felines as well as he does? Jimmy and the narrator apparently have a class of only eight children, so as the book progresses you can see how each person reacts to each and every situation. Kellogg isn't afraid of multiculturalism either, making the book a nice read-aloud for a variety of audiences. Originally published in 1980, you do have to contend with the clothing, an odd combination of 80s fashion and 70s hair, but that's the book's sole flaw (if it can even be called that).

If you have kids that enjoy reading about fiascos (and this is an especially brilliant higgledy-piggledy fiasco if ever there was one) then this book's a pip. From the flying eggs, to the screams of the farmer's wife, to the slow exhaustion of the school's bus driver, it reads brilliantly. Credit Trinka Hakes Noble's witty retelling in a format not usually found in children's literature. Altogether the combination of eloquent text and amusing pictures place this book in the higher echelons of picture books. A brilliant, fun, and rousing book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars What a fun and imaginitive story, Feb 13 2004

By

Bonnie McReynolds "sweety_girl" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash (Hardcover)

This book is an engaging tale about a school field trip that went delightfully awry. The vivid illustrations add to the charm of the story, which is being retold to a mother by her little girl who seems completely unphased by the events that had taken place earlier in the day. I find that everytime I read this to a child, I cannot wait to turn the page to see what happens next. An exciting and comical story that is sure to be a favorite of all ages.

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4.0 out of 5 stars i liked this book, Jan 30 2004

By

G. McKay (pittsburgh, pa United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash (Paperback)

"the day jimmy's boa ate the wash" was very funny and it was a nice book. I think second graders woould like this book a lot. I like this book because the characters were funny and the girl who told the story was interesting. I had a great time reading this.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comedic Book Everyone Will Like!
The day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash is a unruley fictional story about an exciting field trip to the farm, and the kid foolish enough to bring along his pet boa constrictor. Read more

Published on Jan 14 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars The Day Jimmy's Boa ate the Wash
The book "The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash" is a great book with lots of imagination. I think that young boys would like this book most but it would also be nice for girls. Read more

Published on Sep 24 2003