The Feet in the Gym - Softcover

Daniels, Teri

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1588370232 ISBN 13: 9781588370235

Publisher: Winslow Pr, 2001

Synopsis

Handy Bob, the Lakeside School gym custodian, is at his wit's end when the students trek dirt, grime, grit, and slime across his freshly mopped floor, but the children clear the mess in their own way

About this title

From the Author

Q: What age group is The Feet in the Gym suited for?

A: The book appeals to children, aged four to ten, on many levels.

Hands, feet and shoes are high up on a preschooler's interest list. Hands and feet are enablers, and shoes are probably the first item of clothing that children can choose for themselves.

Another feature that grabs the little ones is the repeat enjoyment of the book. By the third go round, they call out which school group is about to come through the gym. It's like a memory game for them.

The new readers like the book because they can tackle it independently. The pictures support the text and the verse assists word recognition.

Older children relate to the familiar setting of the story and enjoy all the fun activities in a school day. On school visits, fourth and fifth graders find the book reminiscent of their grade school experience.

Teachers discuss the themes of persistence and cooperation. Who staffs the school? is a common question posed with a slant towards appreciation for a job well cone.

Several aspects of the book entice people across the board. The humor, the art, and the colossal mess.

Q: What do your readers appreciate in The Feet in the Gym?

A: They love the last laugh in the story: Handy Bob leaves his own foot prints on the floor. That's where the reader feels in on something fun. But the most talked about feature of the book is the wet spots.

Each spill, spot, drip, and drop has been varnished to really look wet. Everyone, big or little, wants to know how it happened. I explain that it's part of the printing process. A clear coat is sort of like a fifth color.

The great illustrations by Travis Foster get careful attention, too. I have files of pictures that children have made. They particularly like to draw Handy Bob in the rainbow flood. Finally, there is something to be said about a simple rhyme done well. The beat propels the reader through the story, while the vowel sounds invite the mind to anticipate the conclusion each couplet.

Q: Why did you decide to write a book about a custodian.

A: It was never a conscious decision, like "Today I will write about a custodian." It was more a zoning in on something good. Like most authors, my immediate world is my reference point. My children are still in school, and school is a comfortable, familiar place. I remember being struck with the idea that my sons' elementary environment was unlike what I knew as a child.

The schools, today, are hopping with enriching activities: drama, dance, art, band, nature walks, field trips, sports, and contests. You name it... they probably have it. The custodians are instrumental to these programs. They're Johnnys on the spot with know-how and a hand tool whenever called upon, and they're called upon a lot.

Assigning Handy Bob a fastidious nature combined with a clueless-ness about his own frailties lent a humorous edge to the story. I'm pleased to report that, through this story, custodians across the country are enjoying some well-deserved attention.

Q: The custodian is a character found in school stories. Why do you suppose he has never had the lead?

A: For one thing, Handy Bob the custodian is a grownup and picture books typically headline a child. A popular philosophy in juvenile literature is to present the principal characters as children, or child-like in demeanor. This serves to strengthen a young readers' identification with the story. To offset the adult main chracter, my setting bubbles over with kids.

Handy Bob does defy his occupational pedigree. While custodians have staffed the supporting cast in picture books, I can only guess that these behind-the-scene workers weren't considered lead-like. In truth, custodians are a spectrum of personalities. They are tops with the kids and central to their schools. They perform many roles vital to a happy and productive school life.

Q: What could an aspiring writer try to emulate in this book?

A: I hope they would concentrate on "climbing story mountain" and use my text as a guide.

Get onto the rock right away. Introduce the person and the problem early. (Handy Bob has his hands full mopping up the footprints.)

Climb the mountain. Have the main character either attempt to solve his problem, or face obstacles increasing in intensity. (In Feet, more groups bring more mess, and the mess gets ickier and stickier.)

Reach the top. Build the story toward a peak. Usually the character feels as if all is lost until, POW! Something big happens. (In Feet, the marching band comes through and the sticky mess adheres to their stomping feet.)

Finally, slide down the mountain swiftly. After the peak, it's time to wrap up the story. (Handy Bob discovers one small spot-one purple, painted polka dot. He mops it and walks out the back door, leaving his own footprints on his freshly mopped floor.)

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2In a rhyming monologue, Handy Bob, the janitor at Lakeside School, tells readers why it is so difficult to keep the gym floor clean. If the kindergartners arent tracking across it with their little footprints, the first-grade Brownies are dropping sticky crumbs from their cookie sale. The soccer team leaves behind bits of tattered grass, and the ballet dancers swirl them all over. The art class arrives, and then the marching band. Poor Handy Bob is genuinely distressed, until he sees that Joy of joys! My lucky day!/The children marched the mess away! The floor is clean except for one purple spot expertly mopped by the smiling man who takes great pride in his job. The last page shows Handy Bob exiting the gym, blissfully oblivious to the footprints he has left on the floor. Children will enjoy this industrious janitor who sports a large key ring on his belt, wears his sleeves rolled up, and has a dimple in his chin. The watercolor cartoons are bright and colorful and filled with Handy Bobs friendly facial expressions. Good clean fun.Jackie Hechtkopf, University of Maryland, College Park
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Winslow Pr
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1588370232
• ISBN 13: 9781588370235
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Foster Travis
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 34