Reviews

Elbert's Bad Word by Audrey Wood, Don Wood

calistareads's review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

4.0

I enjoy this fun bit of silly and wacky.  The setting is a fancy dinner party with everyone's noses in the air.  There is an Opera singer and an oboe player.  Our main character is Elbert and he looks bored to death.  He overhears a word, it's never said, and it's personified like a dust mote.  

There is also a wizard in this story who is fun.  Al these accidents happen so that Elbert is hurt and screams out his new word and gets in trouble.

The story is clever and delightful.  Good ol' Audrey.

kslhersam's review

5.0

This is such an original book. My 8,6, and 4 year old boys all loved it.

claudiaswisher's review

4.0

Elbert seems to be right at home at the elegant party...everyone's nose is in the air...snottiness abounds. Then a bad word appears and hops onto Elbert's shoulder, waiting for the right moment. A string of silly accidents result in a mallet landing squarely on Elbert's toe...and the bad word appears in all its glory, horrifying the guests to no end...Elbert's mouth is washed out with soap, but that doesn't really help Elbert find a new word for extreme circumstances....lucky for him, the gardener, who is also a wizard (of course!) has a solution.

Fun...a silly exploration of a situation too close to home for lots of kids...

The illustrations are worth poring over, watching the bad word take on recognizable shapes and change sizes.