The Lemon Man
A Picnic, A Toad and Swampwater Road
Author: Natasha Ferrill
Illustrated by Jose Pou
“ I am the Lemonman and I want to tell you about my day. It started out as any ordinary day. I called my two friends Miss Strawberry and Professor Celery and invited them to have a cool picnic in the park. But, alas my plans went astray, as I was lead astray too. Please listen carefully and learn from me the true meaning of friendship, forgiveness and kindness as I tell you about one cunning Toad and one Timmy Pear and what happened that day that changed my life forever. “
“ I might be a Lemonman but I am really quite sweet
Being part of this story created by Natasha is quite neat
I wanted to have some fun on this beautiful morning you see
So, I called my dear friends Miss Strawberry and Professor Celery to meet me.
We decided to have a picnic in the park and bring along some really good treats
But, unfortunately I got conned into a game of change by a Toad who I did not defeat
Aided by Timmy Pear who was not friend to me you see
I lost my precious basket of treats by signing something he gave to me
Never let your guard down and always read before you sign on the dotted line
Or what happened to me will happen to you and you really won’t feel so fine
Mr. Cunningham C. Toad was a smart contoad you will learn
Convincing me to play a game and my trust he did earn
Losing my treats made me sad and I started to cry lemon tears as you can see
Making Timmy Pear fell bad and deciding to really help me
So, Timmy Pear decided to teach a lesson to the Toad
By giving him directions to get back home by way of Swampwater Road
Thinking he had it made he went on his jolly way
Swinging my basket of treats not knowing he too was led astray
I arrived at the park and saw my two dear friends picnicking under a tree
Explaining to them both what had happened to poor me
As I continued to telling my friends about my horrible day
They realized that the Toad was home a dangerous way
So, realizing he might need help we ran to the brook and what do you think we saw
One Toad sinking under the water hoping we heard his cries for help and more
One muddy, grimy toad going under the water who knows what will be in sotre
To find out if I save him from drowning in the brook
You are going to have to read this really Five Star book.
Does the Toad learn the meaning of true friendship this time for real
Find out when you learn the for yourself and understand: when he says a deal is deal deal.
So visit Cherry Bay and meet the delicious characters that live there and maybe the little odd couple that started it all
By creating their garden with a touch of magic and without the help of a crystal ball.”
This is a story of friendship, loyalty, kindness and understanding when on Lemonman makes the choice to seek revenge or choose forgiveness. When the Toad is drowning and about to go under the Lemonman has to make a life changing decision that will decide his fate and that of the Toad. What he decides and what they both learn you will find out for yourself. But, one thing is for sure our Lemonman is really quite sweet, and adorable because illustrator Jose Pou brought him and all of the other great fruits and vegetables to life. The characters are so lifelike, colorful and beautifully illustrated. You can smell the scent of the strawberry, the lemon and of course the crispness of my favorite snack the celery.
Challenging the young reader with interesting vocabulary words that will help them create mental pictures of the action and the characters in their own minds. Learning that the story begins in the morning, continuing into he evening allows the young child to understand night and day along with when we get up and when we go to bed. Using the moon as the guide for the night and the sun for the day will help younger children understand this concept. Teachers of younger children can use this story to teach many lessons in character education. Older children can create their own adventures for Lemonman and his friends. The use of rhymes and the brilliant illustrations really brings this story to life in a unique way.
So, let’s hope our author brings back our Lemonman and creates some new adventures for him, Professor Celery, Miss Strawberry and of course our little odd couple Mr. and Mrs. Applebrooke and don’t forget the magic. This book belongs in every classroom library, church group, Sunday school lessons and home library. Let’s hope we see a lot more of this cute and adorable Lemon.
Fran Lewis: Reviewer
I give this book: FIVE SWEET LEMONS!
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