Product Description

Toestomper is mean, rude, and disgusting. Along with his friends Nightmare, Basher, and Barfy-the Rowdy Ruffians-he loves to make trouble and pick on folks. But when a slew of warm and fuzzy caterpillars begin following Toestomper around and look up at him with their pleading eyes, he's not sure what to do. He yells at them to leave but they still won't go, and then they start to look a bit cold huddling outside Toestomper's hut. Gradually the fuzzy furballs wend their way into Toestomper's life. But what will the Rowdy Ruffians think of Toestomper's change of heart?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #216580 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From Amazon.com
Toestomper is the kind of big, ugly bully kids run and hide from, and his lowlife friends, the Rowdy Ruffians, are no better. So what happens when a bunch of darling baby caterpillars start following Toestomper around asking for help?

Finding their big-eyed pleas almost impossible to resist, Toestomper is captivated by the caterpillars' furry helplessness. What's more, after he moves them into his own house and begins taking care of them, he no longer feels quite so lonely and mean. Of course, all this wreaks havoc in his former criminal community. His nasty animal friends--Barfy, Nightmare, and Basher--refuse to accept this angelic transformation in their previous mate-in-mahem. "Toestomper isn't any fun anymore," complains Basher. "All he cares about is those dumb caterpillars."

Rooting for the good guy is one thing children love to do, and in this perceptive tale of transformation, readers will find their hearts warming towards Toestomper as he finally realizes that life is much more rewarding when you help people instead of hurt them. Richly illustrated in a detailed airbrush style, Sharleen Collicott has created a delightful collection of unique characters, from the winsome blue caterpillars to the tough, cynical gang members. An enjoyable, funny tale. (Ages 3 to 7) --Marianne Painter

From Publishers Weekly
In this cursory tale, a hard-hearted hellion magically turns into a touchy-feely pushover. Toestomper hails his pals, the Rowdy Ruffians, with a "Hello, you lowlife rascals"; they share a mutual bond of behaving in "a mean, rude... and disgusting" manner. Collicott (The Chicken Sisters) paints an almost three-dimensional village bursting with wildflowers and shrubs just waiting to be flattened by the team of troublemakers. Toestomper, sporting a red bandanna that telegraphs his tough nature, dislodges a family of caterpillars from the bush they call home ("Get away from me, you creepy creepers!" he hollers). But then he inexplicably undergoes a personality shift. Suddenly he's making a box lined with a blanket for the fuzzy fellows and offering them water to drink. He even shuns his friend Nightmare's offer to "go to town and be rude" and Barfy's invitation to "go to town and be disgusting." After the Ruffians tie Toestomper to a tree and attempt to feed the caterpillars to the birds, the improbable happy ending finds Toestomper playing cards with the Rowdy Ruffians, side by side with his freed fuzzy friends (they all sport the requisite red bandanna). With such an unlikely turn of events, readers may not care that this superficial cast of characters lives happily ever after. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-A didactic tale about how softhearted some bullies can be beneath their bravado. Toestomper, a bandanna-wearing, card-cheating rodent, hangs around with a group of bullies called the Rowdy Ruffians. They like him because he's "mean, rude and disgusting." Looking for trouble one day, he flattens a bush that was home to a bunch of caterpillars and the fuzzy blue critters follow him home. Feeling sorry for them, he finds himself helping and beginning to care for them. His friends, resenting the attention their buddy gives to the caterpillars, attempt to dispose of the "creepy creepers," but are foiled in their endeavors. Collicott's writing is unexceptional, but her colorful, detailed gouache illustrations deftly depict the bully's moods and the caterpillars' actions and are the highlight of the book. Even though Toestomper appears to have learned to be kind, his reformation is questionable as the last illustration reveals the fluffy larvae wearing bandannas and cheating at cards, just like their verminous friend. A mixed effort.
Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

What a beautiful book!
The story is so very sweet,this big bad bully became a warm wonderful caretaker. Tha Art in the book is so cute. You just love O'Toestomper! Under all that Bad Guy stuff he is a real lover. Good job! We loved it. Thank you.

Pay no attention to that ranter behind the curtain!
I read this one to my approaching-40 husband, the closest I come to a child. He thought it was fun. Asked for a message, he came up with: "It's okay to change. It's okay to stand up for the people you love." It seems to me that getting into questionable situations is how you learn/teach your children to make good choices. Pay no attention to the ranter behind the curtain.The illustrations are very expressive too.

Toestomper Rules!
My 3 year old "discovered" this book after I heard about it on NPR. After previewing it at the library it was at the top of his Christmas list. Ever since, we read it daily with him demanding that I "do the voices". For parents who like to dramatize their readings, this book is a treasure. Colorful characters and excellent illustrations bring a funny tale of a tough guy who finds his soft side and learns to be a friend to smaller animals. Others may question the look and attitude of Toestomper and his cohorts, but I judge books by the reaction of my child. We've read it at least 50 times and so far the only change in his behaviour I've seen is that when he sees smaller children or little animals he says "We should be nice to them...like Toestomper."