Jim Tobin

I enjoyed the humor used in this story to explain an all to common childhood occupancy-- the discovery of a bad word. The illustrations were humorous as well and I could see children enjoying reading this even without an adult. It shows how endless and wonderful the possibilities are through the use of our human language.

Don't miss the endpapers (and note that they are different). I appreciate the blond mother fixing the toilet, and Black father admonishing her for saying the very inappropriate word. More importantly, it's a funny story. With a satisfying and very fitting solution.

Btw, fans of concrete poetry, and vice-versa, will enjoy this book. And any fan of word-play. It's not a didactic moral tale but just a joy to read.

Great read aloud for 4th grade character building lessons. A story students can identify with and enjoy the humor simultaneously. Everyone has heard a word that they weren't sure what it was, but got that little feeling that it wasn't really a nice one. This story shares with students what happens when you take that word out to play!

My six year old is captivated by swear words. Not that he uses them (thank goodness), but he loves that he knows them. I think maybe he saw himself in this book, which is why we re-read this one nightly when we borrowed it from the library.