The Misphits: Story of Snake

by Todd Schleuning

An interactive tale about young animals, disability, and overcoming adversity.

Unable to slither since birth, Snake quickly realizes that his new school is old and inaccessible. With no crosswalks or ramps, just getting into the front door on his electric scooter proves to be a challenge. Will the Misphits be able to help Snake fix Animal Elementary?

Genres: Childrens

50 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2013

Reviews

[Andrew]

Todd & Cheryl Scheuning's “The Misphits – Story of Snake” is a nicely illustrated (by Alessandro Vene) tale of a couple of animals in a school of various animals, except these two are faced with physical challenges that are compounded by the physical barriers of their school building. The Misphits, a group of classmates who have learned to work within their own limitations, come up with a plan to improve the school and to raise the money to fund it.

It sounds like a nice little tale. So, why didn't I like it?

Simple: I thought that the vocabulary, sentence / paragraph structure, and overall story length were aimed at an older audience than were the accompanying illustrations. While I am not an expert in this area, I suspect that kids who are drawn in by the pictures will be overwhelmed (in a bad way) by the text, and those who might benefit from the story (the moral AND the actual reading exercise) might be turned off by drawings that they perceive are aimed at a younger crowd.

However … I AM soliciting a second opinion. I have passed this book by my two grandchildren, one who is in early elementary grade and the other who is in pre-K, and will see what THEY think. If they disagree, I will certainly amend and adjust this review AND openly admit “I was wrong”.

RATING: 3 stars.

DISCLOSURE: I won this book in a contest, with the hope – but not commitment – that I would provide a review on social media.

[Brian Mccoy]

Great book, though it is a little to advanced for my 3-year-old, and 8-year-old's are a little to old for it. This book seems best for children between those ages. Even so, it is a great book with a very important lesson. It follows a snake who can't slither, and instead rides a personal scooter, as he and his new friends overcome the challenges he faces with his disability. Highly recommended for any parent that wants to raise a compassionate child.

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Brittany Burslem]

I think this book is having a bit of an identity crisis. The illustrations are fantastic but there is entirely too much text on each page to a keep a young child engaged. I am of the opinion that picture books for young children should have a few sentences at most on each page. Otherwise the book is decent and if it could hold a child's attention it would do a decent job of teaching about disabilities. My sister who is a special-ed teacher is going to use it in her classroom.

*I won this book in a goodreads first reads giveaway

[Marguarita]

Received this as part of Goodreads First Reads.

This book is a great teaching tool for children to learn about disabilities.

[Melinda]

This is a great book for kids,very detailed and colorfully illustrated.

[Ann Fantom]

This is a great book for children that teaches about disabilities and accessibility