November 25, 2011
Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes review
by Pamela Maynard
Willie Wiggles had a big problem: his feet were so slippery he slipped walking, climbing or just sitting at his desk at school. His mom ordered him special shoes that would stop him from spinning and sliding all over. The morning he was supposed to wear his big, new, ugly shoes, he has the worst day ever. Kids, teachers, dogs, cats, birds and taxi drivers all laughed at his ridiculous shoes so hard the world seemed as if it was going crazy. People were so mean to Willie I almost didn’t want to read any more. Peterson did such a good job conveying empathy, I was actually upset that he had written this funny story. It wasn’t until Willie’s mom woke him up that I understood that the author accomplished his goal. It brought back not-so-fond memories of kids making fun of my braces when I was in sixth grade. I was right there with Willie in the story.
Willie did go to school with his new, somewhat ugly shoes, but no one laughed at him. In fact, kids wanted to know where they could get some just like his. It turns out that Willie learned that being different isn’t so bad after all. No one is the same and we all need to learn to accept each others differences. Peterson did a great job teaching an important lesson for kids of all ages. Slippery Willie is a great book for ages 4 to 10.
My favorite part of the book is when Willie’s mom chased him around the house with a butterfly net so she could catch him to put the ugly shoes on him. What a sight that would have been in my house!
The illustrations were simple but they showed the action of the story very well.
The end of the book has an interactive guide with suggested activities and discussions to reinforce what was learned in the book. This is a great feature for homeschooling parents.
Overall, I give Slippery Willie’s Stupid Ugly Shoes 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Please feel free to share your thoughts about accepting differences at Slippery Willie’s Blog.
About the author:
Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. As a freelancer, he has written many newspaper columns for local publications. Slippery Willie’s Stupid, Ugly Shoes is his first children’s book. Peterson has lived in Pinellas Park, Florida for the past 28 years.
Be sure to visit:
Book web site:
http://www.slipperywillie.com
Larry Peterson Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/larrytpbx
Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com
Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks
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