The Boy Who Cried Ninja

by Alex Latimer

Overview

In this quirky twist on the fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a boy’s outrageous excuses turn out to have an unexpected element of truth.
Tim witnesses some strange happenings around his house, but no one believes his explanations. In fact, no matter what Tim says, his parents just punish him with chores. To save himself, he hatches a clever plan to expose the truth. Will it work, or will Tim have to spend the rest of his life raking the yard?
Bubbling with wit and humor from start to finish, author-illustrator Alex Latimer’s debut picture book with wacky characters like ninjas, pirates, crocodiles, and time-traveling monkeys, will have readers of all ages laughing out loud.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561457748
Publisher:	Peachtree Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/01/2014
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	553,564
Product dimensions:	0.50(w) x 1.90(h) x 11.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Alex Latimer lives in South Africa near the border of a national park. So when not writing or drawing, he spends his free time shooing baboons out of his lounge. He has written several picture books for children.

Alex Latimer lives in South Africa near the border of a national park. So when not writing or drawing, he spends his free time shooing baboons out of his lounge. He has written several picture books for children.

Editorial Reviews

Latimer, a South African artist making his children's book debut, turns in an amusing twist on The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Tim isn't lying: a ninja really does sneak into his house and eat the last slice of cake—kicking it into the air first, as ninjas do. An astronaut in need of a hammer really does take one from Tim's father's workshop, and a giant squid really does eat Tim's book bag. But Tim discovers that, due to the preposterous nature of the truth, he's punished by his parents whether he tells the truth or not. At last he succeeds in luring the creatures out into the open where his family can see them, with triumphant results: "They said sorry and promised to buy him a hundred ice creams." Latimer's understated line drawings add to the fun; his creatures have pin-dot eyes and blank expressions that belie the havoc they're wreaking. The time-traveling monkey in underpants who appears on the television and starts throwing pencils at Grampa might be the best moment. Older siblings may sneak in while this one is being read aloud. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 1—When Tim tells his parents the truth—that a ninja ate the last slice of cake, that an astronaut took his dad's hammer, and that a giant squid ate his homework—they send him out to rake leaves and think about his habit of telling lies. When he tells lies instead and takes sole responsibility for the missing tea that a pirate drank, for the TV antenna that a sunburned crocodile broke, and for the cascade of pencils that a time-traveling monkey threw at Grampa while he slept, his parents send him out to water the garden and think over his bad behavior. Any reasonably imaginative child will relate to this kind of no-win situation. Maybe watering vegetables also fertilizes the brain, because Tim has a very good idea that brings about a happy resolution, including lots of ice cream, the best party ever, and a nice, clean yard. Latimer has created offbeat digitally colored drawings brimming with quirky, diverse perspectives and hilarious details.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

School Library Journal

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