Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 A Classic! February 10, 2008
Red Reader (The Rez, NM USA)
This is a classic, though untrue tale. Kids, adults of all ages, all cultures, absolutely love it. "Let justice be done" to the arrogant, uncaring, unlistening people in power is after all a universal theme, though often they never seem to brought to task in real life...maybe that is why this is an untrue tale? But let's not get all serious here...the book and illustrations are delightful. It has a good rhyming and repetitive pattern that is quickly and easily remembered and encourages kids to join right in and become a part of the story. I had done this as a play with a number of students years ago, but then lost the book, so I was thrilled to find it again. I highly recommend this book to kids, parents, teachers, anyone...
Properly Silly Story: Can be Acted Out January 10, 2006
James Charnock (USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
After all, a JUDGE should know.
Who are these dimwits to tell him so:
That "a HORRIBLE THING is coming this way,
Creeping closer day by day."
They're liars, scoundrels, nincompoops.
Never a JUDGE would ever stoop
To act upon such brainless chatter,
But thoroughly dismiss the matter.
But, as the judge prepares to leave
His body shakes from sleeve to sleeve;
For that Horrible Thing is at the door
To gobble HIM up...and look for more.
(This is not the story, which is a story, of course. In fact, it's a lie. But it's fun to believe.)
[The book does not seem to end properly, so my students concluded the book when storyreading to primary students with the last stanza above.]
A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up
Fun! August 23, 2005
J. C. Wiseman
As an elementary school librarian for many years, this was one of my favorite books to read aloud. Later, when some of the students were in high school, they would ask me to read it aloud to them again.
Great Memories June 17, 2005
M. Nadeau (Colorado Springs, Colorado United States)
My two daughters, son, six nieces, and five nephews loved to have me read and re-read this book to them.
(All but my son are grown.)
Of the young adults, all but one has told me that one of their fondest childhood memories is of me reading this story to them as they acted it out. (The one dissenter has said that she wasn't frightened, she just 'isn't interested in other people's memories'~a direct quote.)
As recently as last fall, four of them were together when they burst out with, "Its eyes were scary, its tail was hairy..."
 Liar! Ninnyhammer! Dimwit! Dunce! January 31, 2004
E. R. Bird (Manhattan, NY)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
After reading a lot of children's books, a person comes to feel they've seen everything there is to see. That nothing can surprise them anymore. And especially, a person may feel that picture books older than thirty years of age are hardly worth crowing about. Then you read a story like, "The Judge".In this erudite little piece of work, a judge presiding over what looks to be a nineteenth century town locks up his fellow citizenry one by one. As each citizen warns the judge that something terrible is coming, the judge pooh-poohs their cries of alarm and throws them swiftly in jail. With each panicked person, the description of the horrible creature becomes longer and longer: Its eyes are scary
Its tail is hairy
Its paws have claws
It snaps its jaws
It growls, it groans
It chews up stones
It spreads its wings
And does bad things If this story were written today the thing would turn out to be something harmless and the judge would let all the people out of the jail because, technically, they were right. HOWEVER... this story was not written today. It was written in 1969. And the ending of this picture book is such a shocking Maurice Sendak-ish piece of work that I don't think anyone could truly appreciate it without seeing it. As the book's blurb says so clearly, "justice is done..." Without a doubt, there will be parents who object to this book's finish as surely as the sun does shine. But there are also going to be parents with a sense of humor who love this book. May I suggest you align yourself with the latter category. It is a very interesting story.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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