Lisa Desimini

Sarafleana wanted nothing so much as to be the highest-jumping flea ever. Unfortunately, her large family already had an act - The Parasite Pyramid - and expected her to play her part in their performances. When the Flea family joined The Fleatastics in their ringside circus, it looked like Sarafleana would have no choice but to fall in with her parents' plan for her. Then Sparky, the dog on which the Fleatastics were performing, began to go wild after hearing the word "treat," and show more Sarafleana saw a way to use her talent to save the entire show, performers and audience both...

Although I appreciated the creativity displayed by author/illustrator Lisa Desimini, in creating The Fleatastics, and enjoyed some of the puns and wordplay, somehow this picture-book didn't quite work for me. Leaving aside the fact that the idea of fleas made me twitchy - something I found difficult to overcome, in the reading of the book - I also felt that there was too much going on on the page, textually speaking. The many speech bubbles, as the various flea characters exclaim aloud, or ask one another questions, distracted from the main narrative. Tastes vary, of course, and I can imagine that some young readers will enjoy reading all the little comments made by the cast of characters, but for me the effect was too busy. show less

Author/illustrator Lisa Desimini takes the classic Halloween rhyme that children love to chant - "Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" - as her inspiration in this amusing holiday tale of two nasty witches who cook up a diabolical brew. Determined to put an end to the enjoyment that the neighborhood children get out of trick-or-treating, witch sisters Delia and Ophelia use the children's own nasty socks - stolen out of their dirty laundry - to concoct a potion that show more makes them incapable of saying anything but "smell my feet." With doors being closed in their faces, and no treats being handed out, it looks like Halloween is ruined for all the local children! But then a fluffy pink baby's booty - nice and clean! - gets into the potion by accident, and something very unexpected happens to these two malicious magical practitioners...

Younger children with a taste for potty humor - think Walter the Farting Dog, or The Adventures of Captain Underpants - and an appreciation for the gross will relish this nasty holiday tale, particularly when the two wrong-doers are punished with cuteness! Lisa Desimini's cut-paper artwork, although not as detailed as some of the work of such masters of the style as David Wisniewski, is colorful and engaging. All in all, Trick-Or-Treat, Smell My Feet! is a fun story for Halloween, one I would recommend to young children who like holiday tales with a little humor. show less

I thought this book was really funny. A spell that made all the children say, "smell my feet" instead of, "trick or treat", goes horribly wrong and the witches end up turning into babies. I thought it was a very fun story. I also liked the illustrations, they look like they had been made from construction paper.

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Great
Recommended: Recommended
Level: 4-8 years

The Fleatastics is about a family of fleas who love to do acrobatics. Sarafleana is the best jumper and wants her family to recognize her abilities. Instead, they want her to balance in the family pyramid. Sarafleana looks for ways to stand out. She gets her chance when the Fleatastics perform on Sparky, the dog. They are the Greatest Show on Dogs! Everyone showed off their talents. Sarafleana yelled treat and show more they were able to pack up and get off the dog before he started scratching. The book has beautiful illustrations and nice story line. It also has commentary going on several of the pages that older kids will enjoy. show less