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roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Cute poem that definitely made me laugh, and the illustrations made the punch line.
crocheteer34's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sducharme's review
3.0
Various people appear before the judge, all warning of a horrible creature about to appear. He dimisses them all, despite the fact that their stories all match and become increasingly alarming. We have some fun dramatic irony since we see the monster on the book's cover - too bad you're not listening to them, judge! Cartoony line-drawn illustrations with watercolor.
kelseyglamour's review
5.0
The Judge, which received The Caldecott Award, features the story of five prisoners that warn of a beast on the way. Each time the judge ignores their pleas and send them to jail. Finally, the beast arrives as he leaves the courtroom and gobbles him up. All the prisoners go free.
This book would be appropriate to share as a read aloud with children between two and five years old. The cumulative rhyme will help children develop phonemic awareness. The cumulative nature of the tale could also promote narrative skills. Children may enjoy the last two pages, which do not feature text, but show the end of the story in pictures.
This book would be appropriate to share as a read aloud with children between two and five years old. The cumulative rhyme will help children develop phonemic awareness. The cumulative nature of the tale could also promote narrative skills. Children may enjoy the last two pages, which do not feature text, but show the end of the story in pictures.
mjfmjfmjf's review
2.0
Caldecott Honor picture book. So these individuals come before a judge and tell the story of having seen a monster. And are locked up for being liars. Repetitive and kind of boring. And I don't exactly think that courts work this way. And the twist at the end was obvious. Art was okay, but nothing all that special.
snowbenton's review
4.0
I liked that each person added more detail to the monster; this would make a fun read-aloud. The ending made me laugh. Darkly humorous.
calistareads's review
4.0
As Caldecott is based on artwork, I don’t get why this artwork merits an award. It is pretty run of the mill. The story, however, is fun. I love the rhymes throughout the book and the angry old judge. He sees 5 people all telling more and more of the same story and he sends them off to prison. Until the story comes to his door. Each person gives more of the rhyme, which is more and more terrifying.
The kids loved this one. The nephew laughed and laughed at the judge and loved it when he was eaten. Loved it. He gave this book 5 stars. My niece appreciated the rhymes in this story and she too thought it was funny, but only about 3 stars worth of funny.
The kids loved this one. The nephew laughed and laughed at the judge and loved it when he was eaten. Loved it. He gave this book 5 stars. My niece appreciated the rhymes in this story and she too thought it was funny, but only about 3 stars worth of funny.
luann's review
2.0
I wasn't so sure what to think of this one! We are told in the title that it is an "untrue tale." It's also crazy and silly but it did make me laugh. One by one, people are brought to the judge who have broken the law by saying that they saw a "horrible thing coming this way, creeping closer day by day." The judge thinks they are lying, which I guess is against the law. As each person is brought in to the judge, they add to the horrible thing's description, such as "Its eyes are scary; its tail is hairy; its paws have claws; it snaps its jaws." The judge refuses to believe them and even calls some of them names. (I learned a new word: ninnyhammer. It means a fool or simpleton; ninny.) I won't tell you the end, but let's just say that the judge should have believed the five people! I would have enjoyed this more with a bit more to the ending - maybe a moral to the story or some sort of funny comment. As I said, I just wasn't quite sure what to think of this one.
This didn't have as many fun details in the illustrations as other Margot Zemach books I've read. This is one of her earlier books so her style must have evolved a bit over time. I did really like the character's faces. They are expressive and fun to look at. But I'm not sure I would have awarded this a Caldecott honor.
One question: Why does the first guy have a peg leg? When he turns around, you can see he's got a full leg that's just bent back behind. I didn't know what that meant at all.
This didn't have as many fun details in the illustrations as other Margot Zemach books I've read. This is one of her earlier books so her style must have evolved a bit over time. I did really like the character's faces. They are expressive and fun to look at. But I'm not sure I would have awarded this a Caldecott honor.
One question: Why does the first guy have a peg leg? When he turns around, you can see he's got a full leg that's just bent back behind. I didn't know what that meant at all.
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