The Legend of Lightning Larry
by Aaron Shepard, Toni Goffe (illustrator)
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Pub Date Mar 01 2005 | Archive Date Jun 10 2016
Description
"One of the books every boy should have on his bookshelf." -- Examiner.com
No outlaw could draw as fast as Lightning Larry. But what really terrified those bad men was that peculiar gun of his. It didn't shoot bullets. It shot light. And Larry always aimed for the heart.
Can Larry save the town of Brimstone from Evil-Eye McNeevil's outlaw gang? Find out in this rip-roaring original tale of a gunfighter with a huge smile and a hankering for lemonade.
TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS -- A READER'S THEATER SCRIPT OF THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN AARON'S BOOK "STORIES ON STAGE," OR FREE ON AARON'S WEB SITE.
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Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of The Baker's Dozen, The Sea King's Daughter, The Monkey King, and many more children's books. His stories have appeared often in Cricket magazine, while his Web site is known internationally as a prime resource for folktales, storytelling, and reader's theater. Once a professional storyteller, Aaron specializes in lively retellings of folktales and other traditional literature, which have won him honors from the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the Bank Street College of Education, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the American Folklore Society.
Toni Goffe is the British illustrator of numerous well-loved children's books and is a winner of the 1993 Gold Medallion Book Award. He is also illustrator of Aaron's The Legend of Slappy Hooper.
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SAMPLE
I'll never forget the day Larry rode into our little town of Brimstone and walked into the Cottonmouth Saloon. He strode up to the bar and smiled straight at the bartender.
"Lemonade, please," he said.
Every head in the place turned to look.
Now, standing next to Larry at the bar was Crooked Curt. Curt was one of a band of rustlers and thieves that had been terrorizing our town, led by a ferocious outlaw named Evil-Eye McNeevil.
Curt was wearing the usual outlaw scowl. Larry turned to him and smiled. "Mighty big frown you got there, mister," he said.
"What's it to you?" growled Curt.
"Well," said Larry, "maybe I could help remove it."
"I'd like to see you try!" said Curt.
The rest of us got out of the way, real fast. The bartender ducked behind the bar. Larry and Curt moved about ten paces from each other, hands at the ready. Larry was still smiling.
Curt moved first. But he only just cleared his gun from its holster before Larry aimed and fired.
Zing!
There was no bang and no bullet. Just a little bolt of light that hit Curt right in the heart.
Curt just stood there, his eyes wide with surprise. Then he dropped his gun, and a huge grin spread over his face. He rushed up to Larry and pumped his hand.
"I'm mighty glad to know you, stranger!" he shouted. "The drinks are on me! Lemonade for everyone!"
A Note From the Publisher
Available in paperback and on Kindle.
Advance Praise
"One of the books every boy should have on his bookshelf; girls will probably like the story too . . . The language is perfect, [with] the right dose of silliness to make both parents and children chuckle . . . The illustrations are ideal." -- Cindi Rose, Examiner.com, Aug. 20, 2012
"A tall-tale superhero for our time. . . . A readaloud that could lighten up classes well up in the elementary grades." -- Kirkus Reviews, Mar. 1, 1993
"Pass out the bandanas and dig out the spittoon. Read this story in an old-timer's voice, and everyone will have a good time." -- Chris Sherman, American Library Association Booklist, Mar. 1, 1993
"Move over Wyatt Earp. Make room for a cowboy of a different caliber. A wide age range of listeners will request this one again and again." -- School Library Journal, Nov. 1993
"A rib-tickler. . . . Kids will enjoy acting this out as readers theatre." -- Jan Lieberman, TNT, Spring 1993
"Lovely. . . . Should reach the tickly bone of youngsters." -- Storyline, June 1993
"Perfect for telling or reading out loud." -- Katy Rydell, Stories, Spring 1993
"My class loved this story. Great to use when introducing tall tales." -- D. Peccianti, Reviews of All Resources (Monterey Peninsula United School District)
"Introduces one amazing cowpoke. . . . Will have young listeners laughing out loud and asking you to 'read it again.'" -- Smithsonian, Nov. 1993
"The book is entertaining and provides grist for discussions." -- Sparks: Mid-South Children's Book Review Journal, Spring 1994
"Told in the spirited language of a true yarn-spinner, this is a rollicking picture book to warm the heart of just about everyone." -- Kids' Line, Summer 1993
"The old west is turned on its ear in this lighthearted tall tale. . . . Shepard's frontier vernacular manages to be both faithful to the genre and hilariously funny; the book reads aloud wonderfully. . . . Especially good for classroom use." -- Wendy E. Betts, The Web Online Review, Apr. 22, 1994
"Rollicking. . . . Will surely find a place in your storytelling heart." -- The Story Bag, Special Review Issue
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780938497288 |
| PRICE | $12.50 (USD) |
Links
Average rating from 8 members
Featured Reviews
Joel S, Reviewer
A Goodhearted Tall Tale
This is the kind of project that could turn sappy in a heartbeat. But this book doesn't. Indeed, I thought it got sharper, more clever and funnier as it went on.
The author catches the feel and language of classic western tall tales, and the illustrator backs that up with energy and a certain rascally charm.
So, if you take to heart the lesson of "The Virginian" -- "Smile when you say that, pardner." -- this is an entertaining and subtly accomplished treat.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Victoria H, Educator
This one really left me lukewarm. While the idea of a “gunslinger” whose gun shoots lightning rather than bullets was cute, there was no real setup. I realize that the spaghetti Western trope of mysterious man who arrives and changes the town, then leaves without a word, is the basis for this book, my child wants to know why Larry has this special gun. What happens to the town?
I’m also bothered by the fact that Larry not only uses his special gun on the bad guys, but on the entire town. Forcing everyone to be happy and good makes me very, very nervous.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Guns (real and special), bank robberies, a bar, general mayhem.
Who Might Like This Book:
Those who like Westerns and mysterious strangers. The lower end of the target age range.
This review is also posted at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-mysterious-stranger-comes-to-town.html
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ebook.
Craig S, Media/Journalist
A very original children's tale that brings alive the saloons, townspeople, outlaws, and gun fights of the Old West with a new twist that should delight little readers. Lightning Larry is a different type of gunfighting hero, one that's easy to follow and who'll make you smile. Great illustrations accompany fun text. Recommended.
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