Elbert's Bad Word

by Audrey Wood, Don Wood

With humor and insight, Audrey Wood tells a tale certain to tickle anyone shocked to hear a child utter a bad word; and Elbert’s cure provides an ingenious solution. The vivid, hilarious illustrations rendered by Audrey and Don Wood together offer fans a new dimension to their previous collaborations.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Emotion, Fiction, Kids

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 1988

About the author

Audrey Wood studied art and drama at the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has owned an operated a book and import store, taught chldren's drama and art, and traveled throughout Mexico and Guatemala studying Indian folk art. She now lives in Hawaii with her talented family (husband Don and son Bruce, who have both collaborated with Audrey by illustrating some of her books).

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was so much fun--and with a good message, too! I really, really enjoyed it. I think it's such a fanciful portrayal of how children pick up bad words and somehow manage to utter them in the most awkward of times--without really even premeditating it, they just slip out. I thought it was really fun how the "bad word" was like a little demon creature just waiting for someone new to strike. While I was not really a fan of the little boy being made to wash his mouth out with soap at least it was portrayed as an ineffective solution to the problem and it's an old-fashioned sort of setting so probably something that was done back then. Overall, I thought the story was really fun and enchanting with a great ending. I appreciate that it shows how most children really DON'T want "bad words" lurking around their vocabulary--and that there other words much more powerful, besides. And the illustrations are wonderful!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this engaging picture-book exploration of "bad words," Audrey and Don Wood - the team who created such classics of the genre as The Napping House , King Bidgood's in the Bathtub and Heckedy Peg - follow young Elbert as he picks up a very ugly word, while at a party for grown-ups, and causes quite a stir, when he uses it himself. His mother's outrage - she washes his mouth out with soap - is followed by a more practical solution, provided by the family gardener (and secret magician): the creation of other, more-satisfying words to express pain or frustration.

I enjoyed Elbert's Bad Word, liked the physical manifestation of the bad word, and approved of the solution depicted. I liked the fact that the story demonstrates that children often pick up bad language from their elders, and that it takes into account the natural desire of any person, child or adult, to express strong negative emotions. That said, I didn't like the scene in which Elbert's mother forces him to wash out his mouth with soap, or that the thoughtful discussion of the issue occurs, not with her, but with a servant. Although that may be a dynamic found in some homes, I think that most young readers would have more affinity with a tale in which the young "offender" must contend with his parents - discussing the issue with them.

Still, Elbert's Bad Word is definitely one of the few picture-books I've seen that addresses this topic through story, rather than the overt didacticism to be found in guides on correct behavior. Despite its flaws, it works fairly well, I think, and I would recommend it to parents who are looking to start a conversation with children on the topic.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Elbert’s Bad Word” is one of the first books where both Audrey Wood and Don Wood illustrated the characters. This book is a cute story about how a young boy accidentally picks up a bad word while at an elegant dinner party and gets in big trouble for it and will surely amuse both the old and young audience for many years.

Both Audrey Wood and Don Wood made a great team together by creating a highly creative story about how a young boy catches a bad word, literally. Audrey Wood’s stunning writing is extremely cute as she innocently describes the bad as being a dirty looking cloud hovering over Elbert since he caught the word and the wizard’s solution to curing Elbert by giving him a cake that has good words inside. Also, the illustrations are truly highlights of the story as the book is illustrated by both Audrey Wood and Don Wood, which they combine to create elegant yet creative looking characters. Audrey Wood makes her characters have long limbs and small eyes while Don Wood paints the characters in a typical Victorian setting. The image that really stood out in this book is the scene where the bad word, which takes form of a cat (the book says rat, but it looks more like a cat to me) sits on Elbert’s shoulder after he gets in trouble with his mother and has to scrub his mouth out with soap.

“Elbert’s Bad Word” is an elegant and cute story about how children are most likely to pick up bad words that they do not know, but it is more in a literal sense in this book since the bad word takes it form as a cloud and simply floats inside Elbert’s mouth. This book will surely be an instant treat for children ages five and up since there is nothing offensive about this book.

From my Epinions Review:
http://www99.epinions.com/review/Elbe...

[Eastofoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

My children couldn't wait to have this story about a boy who says a bad word read to them (lol!). They were mesmerized by the concept of a bad word being represented as a dirty rat-like creature that gets bigger and bigger until it explodes out of you, as well as how you can get angry and still saw strong words (that sound funny) that aren't considered rude (and get you into big trouble) so that was a good part of the story. It was interesting to have the "bad word" appear as something small (like a child hearing the word in passing) and then waiting for "the moment" to scream it out where it becomes enormous and everyone around freezes in complete horror at the sight/sound of it.

What I didn't like was that the illustrations have way too much going on in them and the vocabulary isn't always accessible to small children. It's not "fun". It reminded me of those old smelly books the school librarian thinks are great to read but doesn't hold the kids' interest even if there is a good message. I also didn't like the part about how Elbert's mother had him wash his mouth out with soap for having said the bad word. I think another approach would've been better. It wasn't really done as useless punishment but more as a wash it away so that it doesn't come back, however it's still not the best of images. It could have been explained why some words are inappropriate/offensive regardless of the situation instead of the whole soap washing thing. The bad word itself is represented as something so getting rid of it should have been done in a similarly imaginative way instead of going back to that barbaric punishment of washing out a child's mouth with soap so that he won't say the word again.

Some good ideas but not the best presentation or execution.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are really great. I liked some of the story details, such as musical performances by characters playing instruments that would be seen at a symphony. Parts of the story were clever, such as how some (very funny) alternative words to the “bad word” (which is never revealed) got in Elbert’s mouth, and came out of his mouth.

I really, really didn’t like the washing Elbert’s mouth out with soap when he said the “bad word” and overall didn’t find the story all that interesting.; it was cute but not great.

[Christina/ The Blog for Teachers, Readers, & Life! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous!🤣 Vibrant illustrations with a cartoonish feel.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - I'll admit that when I saw this in the library I'd have taken it out for myself regardless of how Julia felt. I just wanted to know, I was curious as to how the author would ride this out.
I wish the illustrations would have fit more with the story. I use "so-so" a lot to describe illustrations - if they don't stand out for me usually - and this is what happened here. It really took away from the story for me.
Julia really, really liked this. She really got a kick out of the boy having to wash his mouth out.
I'm a little on the fence about the gardner/wizard. I know the author was trying to convey a different way of getting the boys mouth "clean" and I surely can't come up with anything better but something about it seemed a bit.... of, I suppose.
All in all though it's a good one, well worth reading IMO. I tend to shy away from kids books that reiterate something over and over and while this does that, it only does it twice. You can deal with almost anything twice. I would have changed things up a little the second time around. Maybe tried to make it a bit more realistic, changed the names of the characters in the turmoil the second time, changed the actual things that happened that led up to the ending, etc. But it worked well enough.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by both Audrey and Don Wood, this book is filled with interesting water color and colored pencil pictures. This is the story of what happens when a young boy hears a bad word --- he just can't get rid of it and that spells big trouble for Elbert. In the ned, he enlists the help of a wizard to chase away the word. This is a great lesson in language and a good discussion starter for children tempted to use a bad word.

[Kim Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor kid. If the butler wasn’t so clumsy, he wouldn’t have all these problems. 😆 Cute story. Made me chuckle.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming book.

[McKenna Russell]

This is a story about a little boy named Elbert who hears a bad word in a crowd full of people. The story makes the bad word into its own little character, but it is in a negative way to show that it is bad. It describes it as small storm cloud that was ugly and covered with dark, bristly hairs. Elbert snatches the word from the air and stuffs it into his back pocket. Elbert ends up using the bad word when a mallet is dropped on his foot and it makes his mother pretty mad. By the end of the book, Elbert learns his lesson and when the same event happens again he learns his lesson and uses different words to express his pain. The characters within this story include Elbert, his mother, and the little creature that represents the bad word. This story also includes a bunch of other random people that are attending the same elegant garden party as Elbert. The main character of this story is obviously Elbert, and he seems to just be a normal little kid attending a fancy garden party. The way the bad word is explained is pretty interesting and really helps to have a visual for the reader of what bad words look like that and why they are bad. Most of the pages have the text at the bottom of the page and centered and then the images are covering the rest of the page. The illustrations are very cool and represent what is happening in the story really well. I like that this book is colorful and fun just like a lot of Audrey Wood’s books. I also like that it has a good message in it and can teach a lesson to the students reading it about bad words and how they should not be used. It is a very easy read as well and the way that the characters are portrayed really helps to be able to understand the story. I think this could be a book that is included in the classroom just as a good read for students, but I also think that it can be used to help teach a lesson if necessary. There might be a time that a student in class says a bad word that might have heard around school or at home and that would be a good situation to bring out this book and read it to help remind the students that bad words are not okay. It could also be read in the beginning of the year to help make the rules of the classroom and what is expected by the teacher when it comes to words and then reinforced if need be throughout the year.

[Pat Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book!

While in attendance at a fancy garden party, complete with h'ors deurves, fancy hats and classic musical performances, Elbert, a young boy, catches a bad word!

"The word floated by like a small storm cloud. It was ugly and covered with dark, bristly hairs. With a swift flick of his wrist, Elbert snatched the word from the air and stuffed it into his back pocket."

Upon the occasion of a croquet mallet landing upon Elbert's great toe, Elbert's bad word flew out of his mouth, bigger and badder than ever! The party-goers were shocked! His Mother was shocked! She demanded that he wash out his mouth with soap!

Elbert, knowing that he needed help getting rid of his bad word, sought the counsel of the gardener, who it turns out is also a wizard! And the wizard's solution to Elbert's problem was ingenious! When Elbert returned to the lawn party and had another occasion to use strong words, the solution worked perfectly!

This book has everything I love about children's picture books! Elegant illustrations, an engaging and entertaining story, and language that is amusing and clever.

Highly recommended!

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love how that the author didn't say what the bad word was that Elbert said. I love that Audrey showed us that sometimes accidents happen, and sometimes we have strong emotions about that. And I love that Audrey has a character point out that sometimes we need strong words to express our emotions, but that they don't need to be bad words. I love Elbert's mother's reaction - that some things are below family standards and will not be permitted.

I did omit the word wizard whenever it was mentioned in the story. I didn't think the word added anything to the story.

This would be a great book to read together with your child when you are discussing what language is uplifting and appropriate and discussing family standards and consequences.

[Jenny Dufault · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the illustrations in this book were used in a way that complimented the plot and helped enphisize the way a bad word finds its way to children and stays with them. In this story Elbert "sees" the bad word as a little creature floating through the air, which he grabs on to and puts into his pocket. After a comical chain of events the word slips out, larger and stronger than before. I find this similar to situations where children over hear an inappropriate word, and not knowing what it means, lets it slip in front of adults at the worst time. I loved the way the author drew the word as it changed in size and finally disappeared after Elbert learned more appropriate language.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this fun bit of silly and wacky. The setting is a fancy dinner party with everyone's noses in the air. There is an Opera singer and an oboe player. Our main character is Elbert and he looks bored to death. He overhears a word, it's never said, and it's personified like a dust mote.

There is also a wizard in this story who is fun. Al these accidents happen so that Elbert is hurt and screams out his new word and gets in trouble.

The story is clever and delightful. Good ol' Audrey.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elbert is at a lawn party when he hears a bad word. He keeps it safe until a croquet mallet lands on his toe; then the bad word flies out of his mouth. He is punished for using the bad word. He goes to the wizard gardener who gives him some strong words to say what he feels in times of need instead of using a bad word.

[James]

With humor and insight, Audrey Wood tells a tale certain to tickle anyone shocked to hear a child utter a bad word; and Elbert’s cure provides an ingenious solution. The vivid, hilarious illustrations rendered by Audrey and Don Wood together offer fans a new dimension to their previous collaborations.

[Ashlin Edmisten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a cute book for a little one experimenting with bad words for the first time, or one too preoccupied with bad words. Really, any one could enjoy it. It's fun, has a cute story, and entertaining illustrations.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and funny way to help a child who might have said a bad word. I think it's cute to read to your own child or one-on-one, but I wouldn't read it to a group--I can only imagine all the bad words that would suddenly start flying out with kids trying to impress each other.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for everyone! It is so cute, and never mentions what the bad word might be, yet it offers what to do if you need a bad word. I was laughing out loud! One of my favorites. I will definitely be sharing this with my tutoring students.

[sch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read and chuckled with a sick child.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

After shocking all the people at the elegant garden party by using a bad word, Elbert learns some acceptable substitutes from a helpful wizard.

[Lupe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good for elementary school readers. This is a very enjoyable book. Parents may find this book useful as well if they are dealing with a child with a "potty" mouth.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A valuable tale about bad words and how saying them can make others see us differently, and how we all have power over our words.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really fanciful and creative, and the ending is great! I'm glad I discovered this at the library today.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the fictional take on how children come by bad words

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We found a Netflix treat: we just watched Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories, which features animated adaptations of children's storybooks with celebrity narrators. This story was narrated by Ringo Starr and we just loved the format. It reminded us of the Tumblebooks animations that we occasionally watch online. As the book is narrated, we followed along with a slightly animated version of the illustrations. It was very entertaining and we really enjoyed watching all of the episodes on the DVD.

This story is a good example of how children should not repeat everything that they hear. It's probably a good way to help parents learn to self-censor as well. I haven't seen anyone's mouth washed out with soap in ages and it depicted an older time. But the story was still relevant and we laughed when Elbert chose to use other, less profane words the second time around. (We like to say "fudge cookies" and "great googly moogly") We liked this story and I love how the bad word was portrayed as a little fuzzy demon.

[Danielle Witter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay, kind of funny, but not what I expected.

Summary: This book is about a little boy named Elbert, who was at a party and was hearing a lot of bad words. Being as young as he was he repeated everything he heard. So, when something fell on his foot, he expressed his feelings the only way that he knew how and that was by saying bad words. His mother took him to the bathroom and explained to him that he shouldn’t say those kinds of words. Elbert was sad, so he walked through the woods where he found a wizard and the wizard told him words that he could use in place of the bad words. So he went back to the party, and some how the same thing happened again and something fell on Elbert’s foot. Everyone was expecting him to say more bad words, but he expressed his pain in a much better way.

How to use this book with students: You can use this book with Kindergarteners through 3rd graders to talk about bad words and why you shouldn’t say them. It could also be used to teach manners, because it is not polite to say bad words.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled across this book in a discount sale and what a fantastic find! A unique approach to helping children understand how to deal with the existence of "bad words" and how to find alternate ways to express their feelings. Takes a visual approach by making the "bad word" a snickering little cloud that shrinks away when the boy learns how to express frustration in words without using the bad words he's heard. The only potential downside is that the little boy in the story is clearly from a wealthy family and the story mostly takes place at a ritzy party which some children may not identify with (particularly some of the vocabulary) - however, even if kids don't identify with Elbert's lifestyle they will certainly identify with his dilemma. Highly recommended!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elbert seems to be right at home at the elegant party...everyone's nose is in the air...snottiness abounds. Then a bad word appears and hops onto Elbert's shoulder, waiting for the right moment. A string of silly accidents result in a mallet landing squarely on Elbert's toe...and the bad word appears in all its glory, horrifying the guests to no end...Elbert's mouth is washed out with soap, but that doesn't really help Elbert find a new word for extreme circumstances....lucky for him, the gardener, who is also a wizard (of course!) has a solution.

Fun...a silly exploration of a situation too close to home for lots of kids...

The illustrations are worth poring over, watching the bad word take on recognizable shapes and change sizes.