What Eddie Can Do

Children's Literature

Eddie is simply too busy to learn how to tie his shoelaces. With his imagination in high gear, he dives down into the ocean, explores caves and the rain forest, flies with the birds to outer space. There is so much he can do. But when his friend Clara is menaced by the "terrible double-tailed monster" he needs his mother's help. For "tying up monsters is just like tying shoes." His mother shows him how to do it, and he does it in time to immobilize the monster and save his friend. Motivation surely helps learning here. Cartoon-like colored illustrations visualize Eddie's imaginary adventures in lively, humorous double-page scenes. They flesh out the bare bones of the text, which provides mainly redundant captions such as "He explores the rain forest." The action series of nine pictures demonstrating how to tie laces may require some adult help, but should be useful for reluctant learners. 2004 (orig. 2002), Kane/Miller Publishers, Ages 3 to 6.
—Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Imaginative Eddie can't be bothered to learn how to tie his shoes; he's too busy deep-sea diving, exploring caves, and galloping across the plains, all with his shoelaces flopping around his feet. However, when he and his friend Clara encounter a make-believe foe that only a good tight knot will conquer, he rises to the occasion and learns how it's done. Gebhard's fanciful illustrations show each of the boy's imagined scenarios, along with a few details that tie the scene to day-to-day life. For example, the child flies through outer space in a cardboard box with a colander perched on his head and tames tigers with a hula hoop. The author includes step-by-step visual instructions on how to tie shoes that may require adult assistance in order to make sense to young readers. An upbeat look at conquering one of childhood's milestones.-Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A youngster with a very vivid imagination must learn how to tie his shoes if he is to rescue his friend Clara. Eddie is a young boy with no time to learn anything new. He's off to dive on a sunken ship (on the bottom of his bedroom floor), travel through outer space (in his cardboard ship), explore the rainforest (his backyard), and tame wild tigers (his cat). But when his friend Clara is trapped in the tree house by the dreaded two-tailed monster (a garden hose), he must make the time to learn to tie his shoes so that he can tie the monster to a tree. Gebhard's illustrations fit the text perfectly, showing readers just how far imagination can take you with a few simple props found around the house. Simple cartoon drawings and bright colors bring Eddie's adventures to life. And for those readers who still cannot tie up their own monsters, there is a detailed step-by-step diagram of how to tie a shoe. A fun read-aloud for the preschool set, which just might spark a desire to learn something new. (Picture book. 3-7)