Don’t Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You

By Catherine Rondina and Kevin Sylvester

Don’t cross your eyes or they’ll get stuck like that! This look at the truth (or falsity) behind the commonest things that adults tell kids is filled with humorous insights and wacky illustrations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Release date: Sep 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781771380737

Book preview

Reviews for Don’t Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You

[kottenbrookk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This informational text for middle-grade readers seeks to reveal the truth behind common advice from adults, but is neither as entertaining nor as informative as it could be. The book is a series of sayings and urban legends that are explained on one page, then either confirmed or debunked on the next page. The language is firmly anti-adult, but often the facts support the examined advice. The writing often feels contrived, clearly an adult trying too hard to sound cool in order to gain the reader’s trust. A list of common unexamined adages at the end intends only to add humor, but falls flat. Cartoonish black and white illustrations strengthen the childish tone of the text, but do not add meaning. Though the text references some sources, there is no bibliography or index. The premise of fact-checking conventional wisdom will appeal to children, but the book’s attempt to trick readers into recognizing the wisdom of adults feels dishonest, and the questionable accuracy of the content makes it no more trustworthy than the ideas it attempts to debunk. Additional Purchase. Grades 5-7.

[henryd16 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nominated for a Forest of Reading Award. This book has been nominated in the Silver Birch non-fiction category.Does gum stay in your stomach for seven years? Can sitting to close to the TV ruin your eyes? Do elephants really never forget? Many common parental phrases and pieces of advice are put to the test in this true false handbook.Though a bit word heavy for its intended audience, this is a fun read and some of the answers are surprising. Questions are followed up with a true false format and supporting evidence is given, the only snag being the occasional “you decide” which comes across as a bit of a cop-out.