Thaddeus Centipede Needs New Shoes
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“Where are you, Thaddeus?” called Mrs. Centipede. “You know how long it takes to find new shoes for you!” Thaddeus kept very still under the carpet where he was hiding. He dreaded shopping for shoes for his one hundred feet. He squiggled flatter under the rug but his mother knew all of his hiding places. She squished herself under the rug and met Thaddeus eye to eye. “Come along, quickly.” She ordered. “We don’t have time to waste.” In no time at all, they reached the edge of a meadow. Try the bark of this old tree.” She suggested. “Wrap a piece of it around your ten front feet and see how it feels.” “Ouch, Ouch!” squealed Thaddeus. “It hurts, it hurts.” “All right, We don’t want shoes that hurt.” agreed his mother. “Here we are under this pine tree,” continued his mother. “Wrap a pine tree needle around your first ten feet again. How does that feel?” The slippery pine needles were very difficult to wrap around Thaddeus’ feet. They slid around his middle feet. He got all tangled up. “Nope, too slippery,” he squealed. “They keep dropping off my feet. I hate this shoe shopping trip!” “Okay,” answered Mom. “Let’s keep looking. Look, over here. I have found birds’ feathers on the ground. They would make new soft shoes. Try them on your feet.” Thaddeus had a terrible time trying to get a few feathers wrapped around his feet. He sadly announced to his mother’s hopeful face, “Nope, again, Mom. They are too loose. They pop right off my legs.” “ We have to keep looking, Thaddeus.” “We’ll find something soon.” Sure enough, Mrs. Centipede spied a piece of gum on the ground. “Here we go,” she said. “Try this piece of gum around your back ten feet this time. “Boy, it’s still soft and feels comfortable,” smiled Thaddeus. Suddenly, his smile faded. “Nope, can’t walk he cried. I’m stuck to the ground in the rear. I’ll have to push hard with legs eighty and ninety to unstick myself or I’ll be here forever.” “I knew this was going to be a long day,” sighed his mother. “Get yourself unstuck and keep up with me. We’ll find new shoes for you yet.”
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About the Book
Looking for one hundred shoes is no easy job! Thaddeus tries his best to hide from his mother’s impatient voice as she reminds him that it is shoe hunting day. Being a centipede with one hundred legs, he is found as flat as he can be in his favorite hiding place, under a rug. But his unhappy mother drags him out from under the rug and they set out into the nearby meadow to look for comfortable materials for shoes for his one hundred feet. Thaddeus reluctantly but obediently tries on various pieces of meadow materials, even unthawed snow, but problems are met with all of them. Slipping and sliding, tumbling and tripping are only a few problems that appear throughout this journey for new shoes. Finally, in aggravation and exhaustion, Thaddeus stamps his feet and strongly suggests that he and his mother return home. His mother, in her own frenzied need, agrees with him. The answer to Thaddeus’ needed shoes is found at the edge of a small pond and a green, slimy moss covered rock at its edge which they pass on their way home. The author invites you to read the story and celebrate with Thaddeus as he wiggles his new shoes in the air!
About the Author
Having witnessed excited faces of young children in her teaching career, “bugs” were the subject of the day in the lower aged classrooms. She has watched hands raised in excitement to the question, “Do you like “bugs?” A walloping “YES” is always the answer. She presents Thaddeus as a one hundred legged creature who needs new shoes, but for him, it is for his one hundred feet! She sets each scene of shoe hunting with his impatient mother as she orders him to try on different materials for his shoes making both of them very unhappy. Groups of his feet continually slip off, slide off, tumble off, and trip off the many materials as he tries to walk on each of them. She sets up a number of laughable scenes as will be heard from the young listeners or readers. There will be many happy faces when Thaddeus really finds his new shoes!