The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers - Hardcover

Arnold, Caroline

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 159078166X ISBN 13: 9781590781661

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, 2006

Synopsis

Kids will delight in the tale of the terrible - but lovable - Hodag. With the head of an ox, feet of a bear, back of a dinosaur, and tail of an alligator, the Hodag stands forty feet tall, and its eyes glow like fire. Learn what happens when a group of animal catchers comes to capture this fierce creature and bring it to the zoo! This original tale, a Parents' Choice Gold Award winner, is perfectly turned for storytelling, with magnificent illustrations that evoke storybooks from long ago.

About this title

About the Author

Caroline Arnold is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books for children, mostly in the category of nonfiction. She and photographer Richard Hewett have collaborated on the majority of her books. A part-time teacher in the Writer's Program at UCLA, Ms. Arnold lives in Los Angeles with her husband and cats.

John Sandford is the illustrator of a number of books, including Argyle, Down Buttermilk Lane , Moonstick, and The Seasons of the Sioux. He lives in Grand Haven, Michigan.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4–Traditional Northwoods characters populate this original story. The gentle Hodag has the head of an ox, feet of a bear, back of a dinosaur, and tail of an alligator. In this adventure, Olee Swenson and his fellow lumberjacks must think of clever ways to save him from the animal catchers who have come to take him to the zoo. These strong, macho guys conscientiously consider the feelings of the Hodag and the inhumanity of putting a wild animal in captivity. In contrast, the city slickers are three times outsmarted and outmaneuvered by the lumberjacks and sent home empty-handed. The black-and-white prints, full and double-page, enhance the woodsy tale with a style that places the adventure at the turn of the 20th century. The animal catchers are stylishly dressed in vests and knickers, and topped off with pith helmets or bowlers. With their nets and other essentials for catching a wild animal, they have a slight resemblance to Teddy Roosevelt on safari. The lumberjacks, practically clad in boots and wooly hats, look right at home in the great outdoors. The monotone prints create good texture for both the hairy Hodag and the bearded woodsmen. This story will be enjoyed both as a read-aloud and a read-alone.–Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 159078166X
• ISBN 13: 9781590781661
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 34
• Illustrator: Sandford John