By Bill Wallace Snot Stew (1st First Edition) [School & Library Binding]

by Bill Wallace

It's not easy being a kitten. Don't get me wrong. I love being scratched behind the ears, chasing Butch the dog, and eating Mother's stew. My brother Toby and I learned about "people things" when we were adopted by Sarah and Ben. The only problem with kid-people is the games they like to play, like "Dress the Cat"-- and "Snot Stew".It's not stew! But what is it? It's making a bully out of Toby and a wreck out of me!

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Humor, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Cats

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1989

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

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book that made me realize that I loved books. It was the spark that lead to me reading books today. Children just need to find a book that they identify with, which contains something of their interest. I loved cats, and my mom knew it. She gave me this book when I was 7 and I loved it.

[Critter · Rating 5 out of 5]

After their mother decides it is time for her kittens to move out, Kiki and Toby are the only two remaining in their home. They are discovered by people who end up adopting them into their family. The two kittens are learning to adjust to their new home, however Toby starts to pick up some mean habits from the kids in the home. Toby becomes a bully and Kiki struggles to keep her brother out of trouble.

When I was a kid I read this book so much I wore my copy out. This book is so much fun and filled with important lessons. The story was adorable. The characters were very well written and the interactions between the siblings, both human and kitten, were genuine. The ending was amazing and I loved seeing how Kiki and Toby's relationship started to mend in the aftermath.

[Nader Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snot Stew is a sweet, funny and touching little story told from the perspective of two kittens. I loved how the author showed their personalities and made me see cats in a new way (Especially their meanness and gentle rebellion)
The cozy farm setting and the humor (especially “It is not! It is too!”) really stood out. It’s bittersweet at times, and I only wish there had been a sequel to continue their adventures. A charming read, that left me smiling, even if I wished for more.
*********************************************
Verdict
(7.3/10)

[Stephanie Prysock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another read aloud with the boys. They seriously loved it. I need to check out more from this author!

[Heather Minson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book! Planning to use this during summer school with 3rd graders.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dad: Oh, there's cats
Boy: I WANT ONE *takes one*
Girl: I WANT THE OTHER ONE
Dad: It's feisty, you sure?
Girl: YES
Dad: ...fine
Girl: YEAHHHHHHH



Kitten:


It's *mostly* a cute story, though! Two kittens are left in a litter of feral cats after their mother basically kicks them out of the nest since they're able to fend for themselves now and she needs the space later for the next batch in the oven, and the others have already left due to hunger. They're discovered by and end up adopting a family of peoples, particularly the girl people and boy people, although they like the mother people because she makes a delicious stew.

The title is actually not what you'd think, but rather a mishearing of the children's fighting: "That's mine!" "Is not!" "Is too!" "Isnot!" "Istoo!" "Snot!" "Stew!"—which leads to the kittens adopting that "game" and eventually having a spat that ends up with the boy kitten taunting the angry dog, only to end up mauled by said dog. Luckily, everyone is fine in the end, so I guess the moral is not to taunt Angry Dog Ball.

Not a bad story, even if one day I'll half-remember it and wonder what the story with the jumpscare cat on the cover was... hopefully this review will still be around so I can remember! Unfortunately the book itself is pretty worn from age (still intact but likely to fall apart just from normal reading), so if you look for this, maybe find a reprint?

Only other complaint is, once again, the people family feeds them what is most likely cow milk instead of cat milk, since they didn't exactly prepare to get the two kittens. I get that it's not a particularly popular factoid, but anyone who feeds cats SHOULD be aware of this if they care at all about cats' health.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved to read; for as long as I can remember. I used to bring my dad stacks of books and demanded he read them (when football was on, no less). He would usually bargain back and forth with me. “I’ll read two.” “Five.” “No, three.” “Ugh, fine.” Once we had an agreed upon number, he would read them, despite his numerous distractions by the tv. Eventually I became frustrated that he wouldn’t read more, so I began reading them myself. I owe my parents much; for while I can remember struggling to get by when I was young, and being quite poor, my mom made sure that I never lacked for things to read. She encouraged my love for it, and I am so grateful to her for doing so.

This book is one I remember reading at a very young age, and while I don’t have a favorite book as an adult, this was my favorite book as a child. So much so, that even though I don’t have any children, I do own this book. I remember it being fun, vibrant, with a poignant lesson, and cats. The only thing I probably loved more than books when I was a child was cats, and to be honest that hasn’t changed much. Instead of my dad, my cat Archimedes (Archie) is my reading buddy now. This book was one of those that solidified my love for reading that has continued now for twenty plus years. For me, it is a classic that stands as a reminder of a very happy childhood.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Fantasy*
Awards: Texas Bluebonnet Award
Audience: 3rd-5th
A. This Fantasy is animal fantasy because it is told from the point of view of two cats and the neighbor’s dog.
B. The author encourages the reader to suspend their disbelief with the characters who are talking animals.
C. The setting is magic in the real world. The book is set in the real world but with talking animals.
D.The theme in this story is to share with others, especially siblings. The snot stew game, also a mishearing of “is not, is too” between siblings is what this book is based around. Toby starts the game with Butch the dog gets him into trouble that needs Kikki to save the day. If everyone shared there would be not snot stew game and there wouldn’t be a dangerous situation.

[Rachel Doran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book growing up. I thought that it was cute, engaging, and over all well written. One thing that makes this story unique is that it is told through the eyes of the two kittens, Tobi and Kikki. You are able to see everything the way that they do, which is always fun because it allows the reader to see things in a different way. This book has humor, suspense, a big surprise, and it has great underlying messages throughout the story. I think that children would be very engaged and love this book simply because of the illustrations, and how the engaging the story is! One of my all time favorites that I will always have in my personal library.

[Back · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story. Be prepared that some games played in the book will prompt the children to do the same. "Snot stew" became a game the sibling kittens played that originated from misunderstanding what their owner children had said. Toby is the male sibling and Kikki is the female sibling. Each with their different personalities. This aspect of the book would help readers connect to the feline characters. Very quick read. My older reader was even able to pull a life lesson out of this book. Your actions have consequences. Good talking points then for you and child.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a couple of issues with this story. Of course it is written for a much younger audience. First of all I didn’t like how unruly and disobedient the children were. Throughout the story they ignore their parents and constantly fight. Second why are the parents always home? Last, the way Kikki describes things is annoying. It is a very short book. I liked it enough to finish it. The idea of it was cute. I am glad Toby finally learns to be nice.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our seven-year-old grandson spent 4 nights with us while his mom was having surgery. He loves animals so I chose this old favorite by my late friend Bill Wallace. I read this story to my own children when they were small, so for me it was revisiting an old friend. The book is short enough to be shared in just four bedtime reading sessions. Wallace handled the cat narrator well, and the simple, cautionary tale is easily comprehended by young children.

[Austin Phadoungsyavong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book and little sad because those two cat were adopt from human family then those cat sneak want learn with those people (meaning human) thing or something but those cat don't know happen in house or animals.

[Donna Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet book told from the perspective of a kitten. I saw where someone had selected this book for the Popsugar Reading Challenge - for the prompt "a story told from a non-human perspective " and was interested to find out about snot stew. A nice story.

[Jessica Altshul · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read Snot Stew as a read aloud. Snot Stew was a good book because it had funny and sad parts. It had a lot of examples of empathy. We liked that it had dogs and cats in it and how to take care of them. It shows about a brother and sister having a problem and fixing it.

[Autom · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s an awesome thing to experience reading these books when I was a child and now reading them with my own children and experiencing it through their eyes. I loved this book twenty years ago and I love this book now.

Is not! Is too!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My teacher read this book to my third grade class and it helped me to catch the reading bug. She recently passed away, so I wanted to read to my kids in her honor and the large impact she had on my life.

They loved it, I did too! So silly and has a great message too!

[Nate Hipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is crazy how much I remember from reading this book back in elementary school. What's odd is it didn't really stick out to me as anything special as an adult. It was solid, I suppose. And yet, the little one and my past self quite liked it.

[Hannah Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for children. I’m going to use it as a read aloud for my second graders. It teaches about looking out for each other, not arguing, and is told from the kitten, Kikki’s point of view.

[Marcela Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was so precious to me, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys the perspectives from cats. It also has an adorable sibling dynamic, and I love the stories that are more about animals than the humans. 10/10 would recommend.

[Ash]

I read this book when I was in elementary school.

I got a kitten in third grade, I named her after Kikki, the protagonist of this book.

Kikki has passed away this year in February, but this book will always be fond to me.

[Jolene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of those books that stuck with me from my childhood. I decided to read it to my child hoping it would have lasting memory as well. It’s a good simple book and I can’t remember what made it stick with me all these years. But I enjoyed sharing it with the next generation!

[Candida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me by my aunt and I loved the reaction I got from my kids when I read it to them.

[Kaleigh Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I've ever seen it's my favorite it's AWESOME............

[Jenny Schoel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read, lots of laughter when you figure out how the book got its name.

[Adelani Onofrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only think I liked was that it was told from the perspective of a cat. Otherwise I liked NOTHING about this book!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this in a bookstore today and remembered that I read it a long time ago, so I thought I'd read it again. It wasn't that great, but I liked it when I was a baby. :3

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun juvenile book. I recommend it to all.

[Aida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this book had me cracking up as a kid.

[Jack O · Rating 5 out of 5]

~ Jack, age 11