Sam and the Firefly

By P.D. Eastman

Book Overview

Sam the Owl and Gus the Firefly literally light up the sky in this classic Beginner Book edited by Dr. Seuss. In Sam and the Firefly, P. D. Eastman (author of Are You My Mother? and Go, Dog. Go ) introduces us to the dynamic duo of Sam and Gus, who soar through the air writing words in the night sky. But when Gus's words end up causing confusion and chaos for the people on the ground, it's up to Sam to help Gus "write" his wrongs.

Beginner Books are fun, funny, and easy to read Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1957 with the publication of The Cat in the Hat, this beloved early reader series motivates children to read on their own by using simple words with illustrations that give clues to their meaning. Featuring a combination of kid appeal, supportive vocabulary, and bright, cheerful art, Beginner Books will encourage a love of reading in children ages 3-7.

★ "...provides interest, suspense and word repetition. Illustrations excellent. Recommended." --School Library Journal, starred review

• Format: Hardcover
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394800060
• ISBN13: 9780394800066
• Release Date: September 1958
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.5" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 3 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

They Fly by Night

This is a great going-to-bed book-but only for the first seven pages. During this opening sequence, Sam the Owl calls out "who wants to play," but the misty blue-grey landscape reveals sleeping animals only. Then, on pages 8-9, Sam sees the light-or rather-a light, the one on the tail of the very spirited Gus the Firefly! Following Sam, firefly Gus illuminates the night sky with zigs and zags, and he begins to spell brightly lit words in the night sky. Intoxicated by the power of words, Gus misdirects airplanes, advertises a "FREE SHOW" at the theater, changes "hot dogs" to "COLD dogs," and performs other `bad tricks.' But what will happen when the understandably angry hotdog seller captures Gus? P. D. Eastman's enduring story is funny, exciting, and easy to read. The firefly's bright yellow words are dazzling, especially for small fry, and the story shows the power of words (for good and for bad) and the value of friendship. A great find you may remember from years past, this is another fine volume in the "Beginners Book" series from Random House.

Read it over and over and over and...

This was my favorite book growing up. I owned a copy and I still checked it out of the library so I could read it at school. At age 4, the story was engaging and the moral easy to understand. At 5-6, the story was still great, but the challenge of reading words with such a wide range of difficulty kept me interested for years.

This Book Works Brilliantly

I have never forgotten reading *Sam and the Firefly* as a child, and I never will. One of my children projects all of his naughty deeds onto Sam; the other wants me to be sure to read every single word on every single page. This is a book that, on all levels, just plain works.Gus is a law-abiding owl who teaches Sam to make words with his fire-fly light. Sam likes the words but soon is into mischief, writing "cold dogs" above a hot dog stand and nearly causing a riot by writing "free" above a movie theater. His tricks border on the dark as he almost causes cars to collide. The scary darkness of the tale never comes to anything but engages the reader completely. My children worried about the outcome, and wondered (like Gus) how to control Sam. The book even becomes tense when Sam ends up in a closed glass jar and needs rescuing. Yes, Gus is a lot like a parent. Sam is a lot like a child. And the book is full of learning to read and testing limits and innocently causing real danger and true friendship and sticking together and...it amazes me how seamlessly Eastman puts all of this material together in a riveting story. This may be the best Eastman book of all. It may also be one of the least preachy and most educational books I know. Dark and light, good and bad. It's all there.

Super Book to Teach Youngsters how to Read!

Sam and the firefly is a super book for many reasons. First of all, Sam and the Firefly is the first book I learned how to read. My mother read it to me every night, until she started letting me read some of the words, and soon, I could read the whole book. (I didn't memorize the book, either.)I highly recommend that you give this book to youngsters who are beginning to read. This book also has a cute plot that will capture youngster's attention, and the illustrations are very fun. This book is a fun read, and I will treasure it forever.