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Gertrude and Toby's Friday Adventure (Gertrude and Toby Fairy-Tale Adventure Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Shari Tharp (Author), Jim Heath (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 69 ratings
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2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Silver Medal Winner, Best Children's Illustrated E-book


Gertrude the goat and her best friend Toby the tortoise are adventurers. No sitting around on the boring farm for them! They love to explore, and every Friday they sneak off the farm for some extra fun. One Friday, Gertrude and Toby decide to visit the local candy store in town. They discover yummy goodies and treats, but soon find that the treats are not free!? Uh oh! The market owner grabs Toby. He demands money for the candy that Gertrude and Toby have taken by mistake. Gertrude must find a way to save her friend and get back home before Farmer Sam returns.


Book 1 in the Gertrude and Toby fairy tale adventure book series


From the Publisher:
Gertrude and Toby's Friday Adventure is an exciting adventure story for children who are transitioning from beginning readers to chapter books. This is the perfect book for the child who has been tasked with the usual 30-minutes-per-night reading homework. From the standpoint of reading progression, this title fills a specific niche that represents a gap in the children's book market--longer illustrated children's books that are more complex and challenging than typical picture books.


Gertrude and Toby's Friday Adventure is also a fairy-tale adaptation. Many of the characters in Gertrude and Toby's Friday Adventure are traditional fairy-tale characters and will be immediately recognizable to most young readers. These characters include Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White's evil stepmother, Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk), the Gingerbread Man, and a frog princess. The presence of these fairy-tale characters adds familiarity for young readers and keeps alive the old tales (e.g., those by the Brothers Grimm) that we have all come to know and love.


The second and third books in the series, Gertrude and Toby Save the Gingerbread Man and Gertrude and Toby Meet the Wolf, follow the same approach of adapting fairy-tale tropes using fairy-tale characters in a contemporary setting. These modern stories have more complex plots and wording than those of standard picture books, but without the daunting word count of typical beginning chapter books.


We hope you love Gertrude and Toby and their series of adventure books as much as we do. Happy reading!

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  1. Reading age
    5 - 7 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    45 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 2
  5. Publication date
    February 8, 2016
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Adorable illustrations. I loved the detail paid to creating a sense of texture in many of the images, providing so much depth and whimsy. Their journey is described logically and engagingly, evoking a sense of excitement for the characters we know and like early on, thanks to the smart descriptions and fabulous dialogue. Settings stand out especially well; author has a great talent for bringing settings to life, and the popping up of fairy tale characters was amusing and enjoyable, good touchstones to advance the reader through the book. Very imaginative and fun, and I could tell that the author loved writing those scenes. A sort of sparkle exists there. I'm impressed by the author's stellar structuring of the book, crisp cadence, and wonderful characterization throughout. The story is fresh and fun, Gertrude and Toby are characters I'd definitely look for in additional books to a series, which I thought early in reading this book, and then delighted at finding out about Book 2. One of the details that impressed me so much here is the sense of movement in scenes, excitement with the right touch of potential danger to draw the reader in. Age-appropriate language completes the terrific detailing of this book. Very well done. A true standout, encouraging the reader to hope for another adventure from this author/illustrator pair. --Judge, 24th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards, December 2016

First of all, I love the illustrations. They are simple and clean, yet pair with the text beautifully. I am equally pleased with the rest of the book as well. This Gertrude and Toby story is the first installment of the series and introduces the two protagonists. The story is straightforward and unique - this is not just another fairy-tale riff. Readers will become engaged with the adorable, titular pair and will enjoy meeting familiar storybook characters along the way! Recommended for Pre-K to Second Grades. --Rose Garrett, Librarian at Cliff Valley School, Atlanta, GA; blogger at thespiritedlibrarian.com; and professional reviewer for multiple print publications

All the more impressive as Gertrude and Toby's Friday Adventure is Shari Tharp's debut as a children's picture book author, this delightful and entertaining volume is Book 1 in the Gertrude and Toby fairy tale adventure book series and will leave its young readers ages 6 to 9 looking eagerly toward the next installment of the daring duo's adventures. Very highly recommended for elementary school and community library collections. --Midwest Book Review, June 2016

From the Back Cover

Gertrude the goat and her best friend Toby the tortoise are adventurers. No sitting around on the boring farm for them! They love to explore, and every Friday they sneak off the farm for some extra fun. But Gertrude and Toby always seem to find themselves in a bit of trouble . . .

Book I in the Gertrude and Toby series

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01BL1ABTQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atlas Publishing; 1st edition (February 8, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 8, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 21597 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 45 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

About the author

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Shari Tharp

Shari Tharp

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Shari Tharp is a graduate of San Diego State University and a former teacher. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and son. Her debut book, GERTRUDE AND TOBY'S FRIDAY ADVENTURE, won a silver medal IPPY award for Best Illustrated Ebook.

The next two books in the series, GERTRUDE AND TOBY SAVE THE GINGERBREAD MAN and GERTRUDE AND TOBY MEET THE WOLF, were released in late 2016.

In addition to writing, Shari enjoys hiking, biking, and relaxing on the beach with a good book.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
69 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Israel Drazin
5.0 out of 5 stars Two good friends get into trouble
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2020
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Gertrude is a young goat and Toby a tortoise in “Gertrude and Toby's Friday Adventure.” The two are unusual animals. Kids will enjoy looking at them. The two were bored on the farm and would go off for adventures, especially Fridays when the farmer who owned them went to town and wouldn’t miss them.
On this particular Friday when they went to town, a number of things happened to them. They came across a frog who told them that she had been a lovely princess but a wicked person turned her into a frog and she will remain a frog until some man kisses her. They also ran into a girl wearing a red coat, an ugly witch with a basket of apples, and a boy called Jack on his way to the market to sell his cow. A salesman offered them candies at the market. They took them not realizing they had to pay. The salesman took Toby and said he will not release him until Gertrude pays for the candies.
How did Gertrude save her friend?
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Gail Christian
5.0 out of 5 stars Very cute
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2021
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Wow! Talk about an adventure! All Gertrude and Toby wanted was a bag of candy. What they got was a princess turned frog, a boy with magic beans, a woman with a basket of apples who won't share.... Well, let's just say they had quite a day! But can they get home before the farmer? Run, run as fast as you can....

Fun story with a lot of great illustrations. Win - win!
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James Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun adventure
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2020
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Humorous and fun adventure. Kids will love it, and so will parents. For some reason, I first detail I enjoyed was the hairstyles of the two main characters. So playful. There are beautiful landscape illustrations also. The most fun part of this book is the incorporation of older children's book stories into it's pages. How many can you find? That's another part of the adventure. The kids may not recognize the older stories, but the parents will. I'm sure this will lead many parents to introduce the older stories to their kids and that shared experience will lead to more reading. Very well done. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
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Patricia A. Haddad
4.0 out of 5 stars Kids love it
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2016
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Great story my granddaughters love it. Better to read it on your tablets or the illustrations. I have a first generation kindle and a tablet.
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Kate Unger
3.0 out of 5 stars Funny, long picture book perfect for ages 4-8
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2017
The first in a series, this book tells of an adventure that Toby (a turtle) and Gertrude (a goat) have on a Friday when Farmer Sam is away from the farm. They take a walk to the Hay Bale Market to get some candy. On their way there they pass many familiar fairy tale characters - Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (and the Beanstalk), a Frog Princess, and the Gingerbread Man. When Toby gets into some trouble at the market, Gertrude will need these other characters to help save the day.

It's a wild tale that children will likely think is fun. This book is a little longer than a typical picture book, but it isn't set up as a chapter book. There are plenty of pictures, so the next isn't too long. It's good for ages 4-8.

Blog: Mom's Radius
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Carole P. Roman
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful illustrations add to both the humor and parents should ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
Gertrude and Toby are unlikely friends. They live on McFarland Farms and decide to head to town for an adventure. The adventure starts as they run into some hilarious fairy tale characters on the way. Frog princesses, wicked witches, Gingerbread man, Jack of Beanstalk fame to name a few. Trouble ensues when they are charged with trying to take candy without paying in town and it's up to Gertrude to find help to save Toby. The book was delightful and full of surprises. Wonderful illustrations add to both the humor and parents should enjoy reading this one with the kids, as well.
2 people found this helpful
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Jan
5.0 out of 5 stars What fun!
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2016
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We (kids of all ages) love little Gertrude and Toby and their adventurous spirits! It was so much fun to read about the exciting twists and turns of their Friday Adventure and to recognize favorite storybook characters popping in and out and taking part in the action. As a retired school teacher, I was also happy to notice ways this entertaining children’s book could be used to start thinking and discussion on serious topics like boundaries and rules, responsibilities, and friendships. I appreciate the creative imagination of this story and am anxious to see what happens in the next book!
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Mrs. Unwin-Bassett
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016
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My uncle, Jim Heath, illustrated this children's book, and I'm so glad he did. I have three kids of my own and we read every night. I love having this book in our collection. The story is interesting, and the kids loved it. The pictures are beautiful! We bought the hardcover copy so we could enjoy it for years to come. Can't wait to buy the other two books once released!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Très bon livre en anglais pour les enfants
Reviewed in France on May 5, 2016
Verified Purchase
Livre à la fois pour garçons et filles, des aventures originales, un graphisme génial.
Une histoire à lire aux enfants ou à faire lire aux enfants à partir de 6/7ans.
Intéressant pour apprendre l'anglais aux enfants.
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