I Feel a Foot!

by Rinck Maranke

Overview

 "Between two trees, high above grass and ground, Turtle, Bat, Octopus, Bird and Buck are sleeping in a hammock. Suddenly, Turtle opens his eyes. 'Hey,' he whispers. 'Do you hear what I hear?'"  Each animal's imagination runs wild with what wild creature may be making the sound they all hear. Is it a giant turtle? Or a bird with a giant beak? Perhaps it is Bat-Tur-Octo-Bird- Buck. Luckily for the small animals, it isn't any of these creatures. It is just their old friend Elephant who was out wandering around. The animals invite him to join them in the hammock and soon the wild imaginings about the night noises begin all over again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590786383
Publisher:	Lemniscaat USA
Publication date:	09/01/2008
Pages:	38
Sales rank:	275,468
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Maranke Rinck studied music and dance in secondary school. She graduated in interactive skills and now teaches people who are going to be teachers. She is the author of two other books, The Prince Child and The Sweetest Kiss.

Editorial Reviews

"This nocturnal guessing game from the team behind Prince Child and its companion, The Sweetest Kiss, will appeal to children and parents alike as a picture-book remedy to the notion of monsters-under-the-bed and as a clever puzzle for young animal lovers. ... Rinck and van der Linden strike just the right note between suspense and reassurance to offer a bedtime tale with a humorous twist."--Shelf Awareness

An International Best Book for Young People (IBBY)

 "Rinck's narrative is crisp and direct, and economical enough to be tackled by beginning readers, and van der Linden's illustrations are superb. ... A winner." --Kirkus  (starred review)

From the Publisher

A jaunty text carries the story from first guess…to last…before elephant asserts himself with a tremendous bellow. Jewel-toned collage illustrations set against a flat black background create an eye-popping counterpoint to the text
—The Washington Post

Kristi Jemtegaard

The old legend of the blind men and the elephant gets a new focus one dark night. Turtle, Bat, Octopus, Bird, and Goat are awakened in their hammock by something in the nearby field. Turtle bravely decides to investigate. He reports feeling a foot, like his own but "super big." He decides it must be a huge turtle. Bat flies over, reporting a "superduper big" wing like his, so it must be a huge bat. Cautious Octopus feels a tentacle like his own, so it must be an "extra superduper big" octopus. Of course Bird, feeling a big beak, reports an "amazing extra superduper big" bird out there. In his turn, Goat feels a goatee that must belong to a "fantastically amazingly extra superduper big" goat. A big bellow reveals the source of it all, if we have not already guessed—a friendly elephant who joins them in a much larger hammock. The white text is on night-black pages, all the better to show off these very imaginatively decorated animal friends. Bird is composed of four different patterns, Octopus is covered with paintings of fish, while Goat's coat looks like a camouflage map, and Turtle has a shell of countless colored gems. Elephant's azure blue head makes a strong contrast to his purple-flecked torso. The rather static classic story is made vivid by the visual narrative. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

PreS-Gr 1

This new take on the Indian fable about the blind man and the elephant features an unlikely but appealing combination of animals. Turtle, Bat, Octopus, Bird, and Goat, asleep in their hammock, are disturbed one night by a noise. Each in turn investigates: Turtle finds a foot like his, except "super big," Bat thinks she finds a "superduper wing," Octopus discovers a tentacle similar to his, but longer, and so on. Finally they realize that it is only Elephant. With simple wording, Rinck injects personality into each animal and van der Linden's images interact well with the text. His stark black backgrounds spotlight expressively imagined animals that appear in psychedelic colors and patterns reminiscent of a kaleidoscope. The large art makes the book an ideal read-aloud; after several re-readings, children are sure to join in on the "superduper" responses of the characters. A silly but clever twist at the story's close provides a "what happens next?" discussion opportunity.-Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

School Library Journal

In this retelling of the familiar Sufi tale, a group of small animals meets a big new friend, one body part at a time. Turtle, Bat, Octopus, Bird and Goat are all lazing together in their hammock when an unusual sound rouses them. Turtle intrepidly leads their investigation, feeling a foot-another turtle's, in fact; the others follow in turn, mistakenly feeling a wing, tentacle, goatee, etc., each imagining that the creature is a bigger version of itself. Young listeners will anticipate the unveiling of the full creature, a friendly elephant, who manages to fit, albeit just barely, into the hammock with the others. Rinck's narrative is crisp and direct, and economical enough to be tackled by beginning readers, and van der Linden's illustrations are superb. Each creature's a collage of bold patterns and brilliant colors within distinct outlines. Done in acrylics against a matte, black background, they really pop, abetted by simple compositions. A winner. (Note: Publisher will be releasing a tactile edition for the blind.) (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews