Commander Toad and the Planet of the Grapes

Gosh, Yolen wrote everything. This is apparently part of a series of leveled readers. This episode is both a real SF story and a gentle spoof of Star Trek, with a nod to Star Wars, too. I especially liked that Lily tried to figure out what was going on, and to try to get help, before using her gun to rescue her commander. I'd love to read more in the series.

The final one of the Commander Toad books we took on our trip was Commander Toad and the Planet of the Grapes which combines horror and humor through the use (and abuse) of grape puns.

One by one the crew of the Star Warts is devoured by giant grapes. It is up to the doctor and his sneezing assistant to rescue the crew and find a way to stop the grapes. The solution to the problem is one of those classic eureka! moments when one learns from a mistake or mishap.

On a side note, I liked the limited use of color in the illustrations in all the books but Planet of the Grapes especially. Green and purple are the two dominant colors in the illustrations but the colors are put to good use. They are colorful but not too garish.

Young fans of Star Wars and silliness will toad-ally love Commander Toad!When Commander Toad finds a new planet that seems the ideal place for a picnic for his tired crew, he and Lieutenant Lily go down to look around first, only to be swallowed up by giant grapes. Is this the end for the brave crew of the Star Warts? Or can Doc Peeper, the ship's medical officer, help them escape from the Planet of the Grapes?

When space-traveling buddy's land on an unknown planet, things go arye the moment they step flipper on soil. This humorous adventure will have you laughing at the ridiculous situations Commander Toad and his crew find themselves in as they discover that the planet is allergic to them!
Classroom Use: Think of your own silly joke and write a short story about it...do you think that is how Jane Yolen thought of this book?