[.ca] Toestomper and the Caterpillars (ISBN 0395911680)

From Amazon.com:
Toestomper is the kind of big, ugly bully kids run and hide from, and his lowlife friends, the Rowdy Ruffians, are no better. So what happens when a bunch of darling baby caterpillars start following Toestomper around asking for help? Finding their big-eyed pleas almost impossible to resist, Toestomper is captivated by the caterpillars' furry helplessness. What's more, after he moves them into his own house and begins taking care of them, he no longer feels quite so lonely and mean. Of course, all this wreaks havoc in his former criminal community. His nasty animal friends--Barfy, Nightmare, and Basher--refuse to accept this angelic transformation in their previous mate-in-mahem. "Toestomper isn't any fun anymore," complains Basher. "All he cares about is those dumb caterpillars." Rooting for the good guy is one thing children love to do, and in this perceptive tale of transformation, readers will find their hearts warming towards Toestomper as he finally realizes that life is much more rewarding when you help people instead of hurt them. Richly illustrated in a detailed airbrush style, Sharleen Collicott has created a delightful collection of unique characters, from the winsome blue caterpillars to the tough, cynical gang members. An enjoyable, funny tale. (Ages 3 to 7) --Marianne Painter

What a beautiful book!:
The story is so very sweet,this big bad bully became a warm wonderful caretaker. Tha Art in the book is so cute. You just love O'Toestomper! Under all that Bad Guy stuff he is a real lover. Good job! We loved it. Thank you.

Toestomper Rules!:
My 3 year old "discovered" this book after I heard about it on NPR. After previewing it at the library it was at the top of his Christmas list. Ever since, we read it daily with him demanding that I "do the voices". For parents who like to dramatize their readings, this book is a treasure. Colorful characters and excellent illustrations bring a funny tale of a tough guy who finds his soft side and learns to be a friend to smaller animals. Others may question the look and attitude of Toestomper and his cohorts, but I judge books by the reaction of my child. We've read it at least 50 times and so far the only change in his behaviour I've seen is that when he sees smaller children or little animals he says "We should be nice to them...like Toestomper."

Story is unworthy of purchase.Do not eat food that moves.:
Toestomper represents the qualities that most of us find unacceptable in society's members - young and old alike. Speaking in bulling terms, inflicting violence on creatures different than yourself does not enhance the reading of this to children. Many of us spend a lot time teaching our young auidence that words such as dumb, stupid are unacceptable...so why would we share a book with these words appearing on many of the pages? Children's literature often gives lessons for how to live and what is acceptable in society. This book is lacking not only in a positive storyline for a young auidence, but the illustrations of Toestomper wearing alternative lifestyle clothing with gothic overtones is offensive as well. Story line is dis-jointed, illustrations are offensive and the lasting value of this work is questionalbe. If the author's intent was to be humorous, it fails. If the author's intent was to teach a lesson, it fails. It does suceede in offending.

Pay no attention to that ranter behind the curtain!:
I read this one to my approaching-40 husband, the closest I come to a child. He thought it was fun. Asked for a message, he came up with: "It's okay to change. It's okay to stand up for the people you love." It seems to me that getting into questionable situations is how you learn/teach your children to make good choices. Pay no attention to the ranter behind the curtain.The illustrations are very expressive too.

A fun book:
Ah, pooh to the complaints about the cheating. It's a great lesson on compassion and a real fun read. Not heavy handed. My kids love it almost as much as Scott Simon and Daniel Pinkwater did on NPR's Weekend Edition. The pure joy they showed when reading it on the show sold me.