The Legend of Thunderfoot

by Bill Wallace

The Legend of Thunderfoot

Genres: Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Animals, Birds

150 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2006

About the author

Bill Wallace was an American teacher and later an author of children's books. He started writing to quiet down his fourth grade students, who loved his stories and encouraged him to make “real” books.

Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.

Bill Wallace has won numerous children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.

Bill Wallace died from Lung cancer on January 30, 2012.

Former elementary school teacher; West Elementary School, Chickasha, OK, principal, since 1977, and physical education teacher. Speaker at schools and universities in various states, including State University of New York and University of South Florida.

AWARDS:

Bluebonnet Award from Texas Association of School Librarians and Children's Round Table and Sequoyah Children's Book Award from Oklahoma State Department of Education, both 1983, Central Missouri State University Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 1984, and Nebraska Golden Sowers Award from Nebraska Library Association, 1985, all for A Dog Called Kitty; Central Missouri State University Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 1984, and Pine Tree Book Award, 1985, both for Trapped in Death Cave.

Reviews

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this in years. I loved it when I was younger, and I love it now.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found THE LEGEND OF THUNDERFOOT in the library, because Mrs. Brownsworth says that we have to read at least four books a semester. The author of the book is Bill Wallace. THE LEGEND OF THUNDERFOOT takes place in the desert. The main characters of the book are Thunderfoot, his parents, and a fello box turtle.
The book is about a young Roadrunner who is trying to earn his name by completing a list of task. The Roadrunner is a very good hunter. He is completing his task one after the other when all of a sudden he leaps over a rock only too land on a baby rattle snake. His feet swell up like ballons, leaving him with two huge feet. This tragic event earns him the name Thunderfoot.
I like the way the book ended, because Thunderfoot went through adversity and even though he was different he still wanted to complete his destiny and become the greatest roadrunner ever. My favorite part of the book was when Thunderfoot takes down the snake after being bite. This shows how much heart he has.
I absolutely love this book! I like books that are full of adventure. I recomend THE LEGEND OF THUNDERFOOT to any reader with a desire for an adventure. I am not aware of any similar books. This book is truly one of a kind.

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY SUMMARY OF THE LEGEND OF THUNDERFOOT By Alex, age 9 10-22-2020
The Legend of Thunderfoot by Bill Wallace is a fun book because this book has roadrunners and is set in the desert.
The main character is a roadrunner named Thunder. This story is about how he was named Thunder. One day, he was chasing a grasshopper which jumped over a tall rock. A baby rattler was there behind the rock and Thunder stepped on it with no warning. Some kangaroo rats that had lost two sons said that there was barely any venom left in the baby from eating the kids. So Thunder’s feet grew two times as large from normal size from the swelling. His parents named him Thunder because of his large feet when he went to get food for the test. The test is where the parents get to see how nimble, quick, and how agile they are and pick a suitable name for them. When he ran with his big feet, the ground shook; so they named him Thunder.
The rest of the story is him growing up, meeting more of his kind and earning strength. This is a very good book because it has action and thrills. This book is about the events in his life which became a legend.
I recommend The Legend of Thunderfoot for animal lovers and for people who like to read.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly and playful with an edge of grim survival, this story focuses on a roadrunner who is just setting out on life's adventures, but finds himself on the brink of death through a mishap. Though he survives, he is scarred for life. An unlikely friend sets out to help him find a way to turn his misfortune into a strength.

Solidly rounded writing that has readers journey through danger, violence, grief, depression, determination, betrayal, and more. Eventually the story comes full circle and becomes a sort of folktale legend that feels somehow fit to sit somewhere in the vicinity of Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyan--just with roadrunners.

A fun story suitable for children who are capable of handling chapter books onward to adults of all ages. Amusing enough that it may entertain a young child, if you are in the habit of reading longer stories to your children, although there is quite a focus on the law of nature and survival, with death being an ever-present threat. Use your own judgment on what your children are ready to handle.

[Mark Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thunderfoot is a roadrunner who, with the assistance of Berland, a gopher tortoise, is able to turn what is initially a handicap into a strength and, in the process, develops capabilities which turn him into a legendary roadrunner. The book is an object lesson showing that it is possible to overcome weaknesses through perseverance and develop abilities beyond our expectations.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun light little tale of the desert.

The author has obviously studied both desert biology and human nature. The roadrunner society was believable and intriguing, and the personalities played out like real-life human interactions. I'm a fan.

[Eunice]

loved this book in elementary school i just remembered it. for some reason evokes memories of a small hill near the soccer goal post in elementary school and i reread the preview and i remember rereading the intro so many times cus it made me happy can't believe i forgot about it

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite story of adventure! A sweet lesson on believing in ourselves, seeking to improve, caring about others and the worth of underrated, underappreciated, unique individuals.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

My six year old really enjoyed Thunderfoot and Berland! Perfect read for our trip to the Arizona desert!

[Jess Alden · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from childhood. Planning to read this again soon, and give it to my future kids one day

[Tessa Zimmerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: fiction/ modern fantasy
Grade: 3rd-7th

I love love love this book. Bill Wallace is my all time favorite author and this book was my childhood. I could not put it down when I first started reading it. The family connections, relationships that form, and the legend it creates is so inspiring even if it is a roadrunner.

[Michael Canfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thunder foot was a good book I really liked it. I connected to it on a personal level. I have always felt different than everyone else, slower than everyone else. Thunder foot understands that he has those problems and then some. But he turned his problems in to gifts and I really like to think that I can do that. It was an easy read but to me it had a powerful story. It was a poor little road runner who is disfigured but takes it upon him self to become the fastest strongest road runner alive and he ends up becoming a legend in road runner history.
"You must find your rock" pg 75
This is when thunders friend a goffer tourtise is telling thunder to find the right rock and practice flying every day for a couple hours and eventually you will be able to fly(which for the record roadrunners cant). He practices and practices and even when he is told he will never fly he ends up being able to fly like a real bird. He challeneged the beliefs of all road runner kind. He challeneged it because he had to over come a disability.
I recommend this book for anyone under 14 because it is a short book and a very fast read and it is an amazing book I recommend it to almost everyone who is willing to read it.

[Christie Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere in the Southwestern deserts, a roadrunner eavesdrops on a family retelling the tall tale of an impossibly strong, powerful, protective roadrunner called Thunderfoot. But the eavesdropper IS Thunderfoot, and he insists his story is not nearly as impressive as the legend.

I grew up in the Mojave desert and now live in the Sonoran--both prime roadrunner habitats--so I particularly enjoyed the setting of this story. I love the characterization and how even the "villains" have personalities. The moral (never say 'I can't') is rather blatant for adult readers but should stand out well for the book's younger audience. It was also fairly predictable, but again I feel like that might make it better for a younger audience, perhaps third-grade or so.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book. 4.5 stars. A quick read. I really enjoyed how Thunder grew up and strong through determination and stubbornness. There was a little bit of "adultish" content, with two of the roadrunners stepping out on each other and not being true and honest to each other. Maybe for older middle readers. I was surprised to see a theme of cheating in the book. It was shown to be a bad thing, but it was still shown. Not a bad thing, just surprised is all. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a darling little book. It was good clean fun and had a cute little message as well. It was fable-like in format. It is the story of Thunderfoot, a roadrunner who doesn't look or act like roadrunners should due to an unfortunate mishap. It is a tale that has been told numerous times....being outcast and different and finding one's place in the world however, it has never been told like this!!

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only he hadn't tried to catch those three grasshoppers for a final snack. If only he had seen the baby rattlesnake. At least he survives the rattlesnake bite, but his feet are swollen to such an enormous size. His parents are forced to give him the name Thunderfoot.

Reasons why I like this book-

Reason 1- It is a nice short story.

Reason 2- I could imagine what was happening.

Reason 3- It made me want to learn about road runners.

[~♥Alyssa♥~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a cute little story! I really like the characters - even though they were actually roadrunners and tortoises, they seemed very human. Even the crows, coyotes, and bobcat seem symbolic of human traits, though I'm not sure it was meant to be like that. I liked the themes and morals, and it was a nice light read.

[Alex Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book so much. It is about animals talking and communicating to have adventures which is so cool. It's about a roadrunner in the desert that gets huge feet. He has to overcome many obstacles because of his huge feet. A tortoise is basically his counselor and advice giver. This book is perfect for anyone that likes animals and things of that order.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's better than most of the books I've read, it communicates a moral better to the reader than the others. Really short, but light-humored and deeper than you expect, but not as deep as Ernest Hemingway. (forced to read Ernest Hemingway though.)

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A baby rattle snake can be poisons too.

[Cws]

JAR4-Wal

[Jess Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second graders and third graders LOVED this book!

[Ratforcekids]

This children’s chapter book may appeal to your enjoyment of adventure. The main character ventures out on his own to overcome personal obstacles and find success.

[Critter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very cute and exciting book. There were a lot of good lessons to learn throughout the story.

[A Hoppy Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
A clever book following the adventures and misadventures of a young roadrunner. I was impressed with how much the MC grew. Ideal for animal lovers.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Around three-fourths of the way through this book the story became good. There was a lot of setting up of the setting and of the numerous characters (which I lost track of who they all were the next day). My attention was not kept by reading this book, this doesn't happen very often.

[John Westfall]

It was alright I don't remember too much of it because I was in 2nd or 3rd grade