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The Almost Fearless Hamilton Squidlegger
An endearing tale of a boy overcoming his bedtime fears with a little help from Dad � and the promise of wormcake in the morning. Hamilton Squidlegger is fearless! Well, almost. During the day he can best all the frackensnappers, skelecragons, and bracklesneeds in the swamp, but at night he quakes in terror. Will his father be able to help Hamilton remain fearless in his own mud all night? Timothy Basil Ering brings his signature energetic touch to this sweet story of father and son.
48 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 8, 2014
2 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Basil Ering
18Ìýbooks49ÌýfollowersTimothy Basil Ering is the illustrator of the Newbery Medal-winning THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX by Kate DiCamillo and FINN THROWS A FIT! by David Elliott. He is also the author-illustrator of THE STORY OF FROG BELLY RAT BONE and NECKS OUT FOR ADVENTURE! He lives in Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 9, 2021
This could be a fun bedtime story to read with a child that is having a hard time staying in their own bed all night. The protagonist is a fearless creative during the day, but at night his creativity only causes him to see the worst in the darkness. To encourage his son to stay in his own mud, father frog bribes him with his favorite treat to have at breakfast if he can stay put all night. If you want to try a similar tactic this could be the perfect book to share. For our family it was a kitten. Once my daughter got a kitten she no longer wanted to sleep in our bed.
June 14, 2017
Hamilton spends his days fighting monsters and his nights afraid of the dark. This is a cute story about overcoming your fears. Ering has a great way of telling a story. I read this after the story of Fiddleduckling, and I loved Fiddleduckling so much that this just pales in comparison. That's why I gave it three stars. Still cute.
October 14, 2020
Bedtime is difficult. But after a rousing adventure (dream?) in which Hamilton faces all his worst fears, bedtime becomes much less fearsome. Which is a good thing, because poor Hamilton's parents are worse for wear.
November 1, 2020
Good to read aloud to a KS1 class. It looks at the fears and the imagination, accompanied by some really interesting illustrations. The language in the book reminds me of Roald Dahl and Spike Milligan's styles as a lot of the words are made up and children would enjoy pronouncing them.
October 7, 2017
love the art in this very cute story
July 3, 2019
I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like about this book, but it's just didn't work for me.
March 7, 2022
A nod to the Daniel Boone song that opened each episode of the 1960s TV show. A little too fanciful for me, but cute.
July 22, 2023
MPA ratings: G
May 29, 2014
Hamilton Squidlegger is fearless! Well, almost. During the day he can best all the frackensnappers, skelecragons, and bracklesneeds in the swamp, but at night he quakes in terror. Will his father be able to help Hamilton remain fearless in his own mud all night? Timothy Basil Ering brings his signature energetic touch to this sweet story of father and son.
I am not entirely sure what Hamilton Squidlegger is although I am leaning toward frog. Whatever he is, he is fabulously drawn with a personality that just leaps off the page. The illustrations are so much fun and I was surprised to find out that this artist did the illustrations for The Tale of Despereaux and not so surprised to see that he also did Frog Belly Rat Bone. The story is about bravery and how to overcome fears with a nice bit of swashbuckling to make it fun and ridiculous. Fun and colorful, I think kids are really going to like this one.
Review original posters at Children's Antheneum.
I am not entirely sure what Hamilton Squidlegger is although I am leaning toward frog. Whatever he is, he is fabulously drawn with a personality that just leaps off the page. The illustrations are so much fun and I was surprised to find out that this artist did the illustrations for The Tale of Despereaux and not so surprised to see that he also did Frog Belly Rat Bone. The story is about bravery and how to overcome fears with a nice bit of swashbuckling to make it fun and ridiculous. Fun and colorful, I think kids are really going to like this one.
Review original posters at Children's Antheneum.
January 2, 2014
The Jabberwocky like tale of how one young Squilegger overcomes his nighttime fears.
Recommended as a read-aloud with Ering's signature and unique illustrations to boggle the eyes. My favorite scene includes a braklesneed enjoying the pancakes of a striped bass sea sea chef after being hesitantly invited by our young narrator.
Parents with children who end up in bed with them may find this a good gateway title for discussing sleeping in one's own bed. With a "double-decker grasshopper worm-cake" as a reward who can resist!
Finally, for those you have not yet read The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone...please do!
Recommended as a read-aloud with Ering's signature and unique illustrations to boggle the eyes. My favorite scene includes a braklesneed enjoying the pancakes of a striped bass sea sea chef after being hesitantly invited by our young narrator.
Parents with children who end up in bed with them may find this a good gateway title for discussing sleeping in one's own bed. With a "double-decker grasshopper worm-cake" as a reward who can resist!
Finally, for those you have not yet read The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone...please do!
April 1, 2014
Hamilton Squidlegger is the bravest kid around as long as it's during daylight. But when darkness comes, his imagination goes wild, and he grows anxious over all the strange sights and sounds. Motivated by his desire to have some delicious grasshopper worm-cake, he faces his fears one dark night--and guess what? The monsters turn out to be just as afraid in their fashion as he is. Young readers will be intrigued by the illustrations, created with acrylics and ink, charcoal, and graphite, and they will surely be reassured by the book's message about confronting one's fears. While the pages have too much for my eyes to view, they are likely to appeal to their intended young audience.
Want to read
June 2, 2014Opening: How many of you have a fear? What are those fears? Were you able to overcome those fears? What does it mean to be fearless?
In the book, The Almost Fearless Hamilton Squidlegger, Hamilton is a frog who is almost fearless! Hamilton does have one fear though, the dark. Hamilton's father comes up with a way to help him overcome his fear of the dark.
(2014, February 17). Publishers Weekly. #
In the book, The Almost Fearless Hamilton Squidlegger, Hamilton is a frog who is almost fearless! Hamilton does have one fear though, the dark. Hamilton's father comes up with a way to help him overcome his fear of the dark.
(2014, February 17). Publishers Weekly. #
April 16, 2014
Perhaps the most epic picture book I've read in recent memory. Hamilton is a brave fellow by day and a bit of a scaredy cat come bedtime. He attempts to confront his fears in pursuit of a yummy treat as a reward with satisfying results for both Hamilton and the reader.
Illustrations were rendered using acrylics, ink, charcoal, and graphite.
The text has excellent tone and vocabulary making it a fun read aloud for grades 1-3+.
Illustrations were rendered using acrylics, ink, charcoal, and graphite.
The text has excellent tone and vocabulary making it a fun read aloud for grades 1-3+.
June 17, 2014
This is a great book about the power of dreams and the crazy imaginations that kids have! The main character is a young bug who is fearless in the daytime, but at night is so fearful that he usually finds himself in bed with his parents. However, his dad comes up with a plan that makes the little one think twice about his decision, and he has an intense dream that makes him brave all the time! The text is long, but the pictures are lots of fun.
July 29, 2014
With a cast of make-believe critters and even more imaginative monsters, Ering manages to create a tail that is sure to help young children and their parents get some sleep! The story of the youngster crawling into mom and dad's bed night-after-night is nothing new, but the author/illustrator puts a slightly different spin on the bribe and dad's story to help break the little guy of the habit and overcome his fears.
October 1, 2014
It's easy to be fearless until you're not..and then how to you conquer those fears.
This somewhat humorous book, with an outlandish story line and some unpronounceable made up words offers a way to conquer one's fears, whether of the dark or being alone.
and the subtle message is staying in one's own mud is a fine, and fun, way to spend the night. but it may take some imaginative solutions to get beyond those fears, whether real or dreamed.
This somewhat humorous book, with an outlandish story line and some unpronounceable made up words offers a way to conquer one's fears, whether of the dark or being alone.
and the subtle message is staying in one's own mud is a fine, and fun, way to spend the night. but it may take some imaginative solutions to get beyond those fears, whether real or dreamed.
August 5, 2016
The story of this was great, absolutely adorable...address your fears head on because they aren't as scary as you think. There was something very slightly off about the story, but I can't put my finger on exactly what it was. The illustrations blew this book away though. They were fantastic and complimented the story beautifully.
May 8, 2014
Fun book with a great message about facing your fears. When the monsters in your dreams scare you, just make friends with them. This would be a good ladder to "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll due to some of the nonsense words in the story.
June 23, 2014
An interesting story about conquering fears. A great way to practice reading nonsense words and vocabulary. Students will make connections and practice drawing conclusions. The illustrations are beautiful!
March 26, 2014
Quite the colorful swashbuckling adventure. Great illustrations and an appealing message amongst all the frenetic silliness.
March 26, 2014
Terrifically weird critters and oh-those-gorgeous backdrops. Fun and different.
May 2, 2014
Kind of goofy, kind of different, fun nonsense words. A little disjointed in parts, but still fun.
June 22, 2014
Featuring the dad rather than the mom! And we were left wondering - dream or not?
September 9, 2014
Students might have fun trying to figure out what the odd words represent, but they won't have any trouble identifying with not wanting to go to bed and "...stay in your own mud."
October 21, 2014
I thought it was too long. The names for the creatures are mouthful, but that makes them fun!
Great story for the wee ones who might still be afraid to sleep alone.
Great story for the wee ones who might still be afraid to sleep alone.
January 4, 2015
This book makes for a cute bedtime story for children.
January 21, 2016
Young Hamilton Suidlegger is brave by day but too scared to stay in his mud by himself at night.
September 22, 2016
Very cute!
November 5, 2014
it was alright. if you have a child afraid of the dark this could be a good book to read.
December 2, 2015
Love the imagery and word choice. The illustrations are surreal and magical
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
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