about the book
Now isn’t that just like a mother? Young Omar has finally gotten old enough that his parents decide he can take care of a pet on his own: he gets good grades, does his chores without a fuss, even helps with babysitting his little sister. But no!
His mom will not let him get a snake.
Omar has done his research: they are clean, don’t take up a lot of space, and don’t shed fur everywhere. It’s just his mom’s irrational fear of snakes that stands in his way.
After successfully arguing his way to getting a snake, Omar is overjoyed! He names his pet Arrow, and at first everything goes according to plan—as long as Omar keeps Arrow out of his mother’s sight, she is fine with it.
Then, of course, Arrow escapes from his room…
about the author
Eric Kimmel was born in Brooklyn in 1946. His earliest memories are of his grandmother telling stories she remembered from her own childhood in Europe.
Eric loved books, especially The Duck by Margaret Wise Brown. He didn’t want to return it to the library, so he copied it, letter by letter, using his dad’s typewriter. You might say that was the very first book he wrote! Eric wanted to be a writer since kindergarten, when he discovered that people called authors made books.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Lafayette College, a master’s from New York University, and a PhD in education from the University of Illinois. He taught for over twenty years at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, were his favorite subjects were children’s literature, storytelling and handwriting.
In 1993 Eric retired from teaching to write full time. He gets terrific ideas for stories from his dreams and is especially interested in finding and retelling classic folktales from many cultures. ”I love being an author because I’m never bored. I’m experiencing the story with the characters. Every day brings something new and interesting.” Eric doesn’t keep count, but a friend once told him that he has written over a hundred children’s books!
Eric and his wife Doris call Portland, Oregon, home. They have a dog named Tasha, two cats named Inky and Junior, a snake who never bites, and tropical fish. Eric’s interests include riding horses, baking bread, brewing beer, spinning, and traveling by trains. His latest accomplishment is learning to play the banjo.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography : Macmillan
Author biography : Scholastic
Author interview : Examiner
Also by Eric A. Kimmel:
A Spotlight for Harry. Random House Books for Young Readers. 2009.
The Mysterious Guests : A Sukkot Story. Holiday House. 2008.
The McElderry Book of Greek Myths. Margaret K. McElderry Books. 2008.
A Horn for Louis. Random House Children’s Publishing. 2005.
Wonders and Miracles : A Passover Companion. Scholastic. 2004.
Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow : Stories about Saints and Animals. Holiday House. 2003.
read more!
A Horn for Louis by Eric A. Kimmel
Young Louis Armstrong grew up in a poor family. They never could have afforded to buy him his own trumpet. Louis didn’t even go to school—instead he worked on a junk wagon, collecting stuff other people would throw out or didn’t want anymore. One day, his junk wagon passed by a pawn shop—and in its window was a brass trumpet.
Ricky by Eric Walters
When vandals break into his school and kill many of his science teacher’s animals, including Bogart the boa constrictor, Ricky devises a plan to raise enough money to replace Bogart. Ricky soon discovers, however, that harder than raising the money is getting the large reptile to school safely.
We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings
Crusher is a gopher snake, not a rattlesnake. Unfortunately, a stupid human boy named Gunnar has captured Crusher—a she snake, but Gunnar thinks she’s a he—and imprisoned her in a terrarium. Crusher refuses to eat the dead mouse the boy throws in. Then she refuses to eat Breakfast—a live mouse. In fact, Crusher and Breakfast just might escape from Gunnar together.