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Tops & Bottoms (Caldecott Honor Book) | 
 enlarge | Author: Janet Stevens
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
Buy Used: $2.07
You Save: $14.93 (88%)
New (31) Used (33) Collectible (5) from $2.07
Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 12014
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 40
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 11 x 10.3 x 0.3
ISBN: 0152928510
Dewey Decimal Number: 398.208996073
EAN: 9780152928513
ASIN: 0152928510
Publication Date: March 29, 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Hare solves his family’s problems by tricking rich and lazy Bear in this funny, energetic version of an old slave story. With roots in American slave tales, Tops & Bottoms celebrates the trickster tradition of using one’s wits to overcome hardship. “As usual, Stevens’ animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. . . . It’s all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing.”--Booklist
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
 A simple trickster tale :) July 8, 2008
Rabbit needs to earn some money, so he decides to cheat his lazy neighbor, Bear.
He borrows Bear's field with an agreement to split the harvest - tops or bottoms?
Well, of course, when Bear picks tops Rabbit plants root crops; and when Bear picks bottoms Rabbit picks non-root crops; and when Bear insists on a season of *both* tops and bottoms Rabbit plants *corn* and takes the middle.
Fairly lighthearted fare.
There are a few notes.
First, the book opens sideways, with one page on top and one page on the bottom. This can be a little awkward to read. Second, it's very tall, which makes it a little difficult to shelve. And finally (and really, this is minor, but it niggles at me every time), Rabbit gives the "worthless" beet tops to Bear, but beet greens are actually edible and very healthful! (Think chard, but a heck of a lot cheaper, and you get beetroot as well!)
 Teach how to trick April 29, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a good book for teaching your child how to be dishonest and trick people. I do not recommend it.
 Clever... Witty... Humorous... Must Have for Teachers May 6, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Stevens, J. (1995). Tops and bottoms. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company.
Synopsis: When Hare loses everything he owns to a risky bet with a persistent tortoise, his family's lives are in danger of starvation. While Hare's family is in danger of starving, his neighbor, Bear, lies around lazily as his richly fertile farm fields lay untouched. Being a sly trickster, Hare devises a plan outsmart his slothful neighbor. Hare offers to plant, water, weed, and harvest his Bear's fields and split the profits 50/50. What Bear doesn't know is that Hare has a trick up his sleeve. Hare plants roots crops and gives Bear the tops. Then he plants leaf and stem vegetables and gives Bear the bottoms. Finally, Bear demands a season of both tops and bottoms. Hare plants the trickiest vegetable of all which really surprises Bear and the readers. In the end, Hare is able to buy back his own land and open a vegetable stand.
Evaluation: Can Hare outsmart the son of a brainy business bear? Readers will recognize this jovial trickster who triumphs by virtue of his quick wit. Stevens notes that his tale is adapted from European folktales and slave stories of the American South. This tale also has similarities with African Anansi stories. Although the author does not indicate any actual sources from which she adapted this tale, it is wildly humorous and worthy of reading for many years to come. Stevens' humorous extension of the Tortoise and Hare tale leaves young children wondering. However, older children and adults can clearly see the humor in the connection. In addition, most children do not see the humor in the fact that Hare and Mrs. Hare have hordes of small bunnies at home. Stevens' bold watercolor, pencil and gesso illustrations cover every inch of each vertically oriented double page spreads draw readers into this sharp tale. The vertical format allowed Stevens to create a tall canvas on which to illustrate succulent vegetables growing in the fields. Each page is full of exuberant details and simple boxed text. Educators will continue pulling this text out for students during spring planting and fall harvesting as a read aloud year after year. Children ages 5-10 will love hearing this tale for many years.
cute story February 7, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
great book for young boys, the story tells of a great lesson in life
a guarenteed smile! January 11, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
the illustartions in this captivating book would make it a must have, but the story is equally as good. kids will love the wiley rabbits and the grouchy bear. it's the kind of book that you can read over and over because the pages are so full of characters that you will see something new each time.
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