Theodore and the Talking Mushroom Hardcover – March 10, 2009

This book replaced a dull worn out copy with no book jacket.. So, the book is perfect for our collection.

My 7 month old son loves this book. I'd say it's now his favorite. We read it to him everyday.

This book is not appropriate for young children. The artwork is a strength but the story line and vocabulary are a disapointment and inappropriate for the age range that would be interested in the book. As an early intervention specialist, speech pathologist, parent and grandparent I am disgusted with the book, I am thankful I had the book shipped to me rather than directly to my grandaughter.I will be returning the book and demanding a refund.

Didn't love the story

Was Leo Leonni working out some personal disappointments when he wrote this? I'm all for unsentimental stories but this one feels downright existential and absolutely pitiless towards its characters. Highly recommended if you want to seriously bum your kid out.

If you are looking for another Swimmy or Frederick, or even Alexander, this is NOT it. The usual cute torn-paper mouse illustrations are here, but this is a weird story, and not a very happy one, either. At first I had to wonder what kind of mushroom Leonni was on when he wrote this. The story is about a mouse who finds a mushroom that "talks," or so he thinks, at least at first. Anyway, the cat`s out of the bag, and everyone thinks Theodore must be great because he discovered a mushroom that speaks, moreover, he is the only one who can understand it. Thus begins his dilemma.I suppose this tale is a good starting point for discussions about verifying ones facts, speaking before thinking, getting carried away, the dilemma of when to speak out the truth despite the terrible outcome and accepting the consequences of one`s actions. Maybe this is not so weird, after all: just not so light-hearted as the aforementioned stories. Theodore learns an important lesson, albeit a rueful one, and the book is not devoid of humour.

Yeah, like the others mentioned, it's not only a dull read, but a terrible moral. It just ends super abruptly with no closure or lesson learned. He literally just runs away. Don't bother with this one! I googled reviews of this immediately after first read just to see if others found it as awful as I did. Lol

The moral of this story is to be honest in the face of horrible friends, which is completely inappropriate for children to read about. It's the most depressing storyline and ending I've ever read in a children's book and most adult books...