Book Review - How the Back-Back Got His Name

About the Book

Can you imagine what it would be like to lose your back!!? Well, that is exactly what happens to Plumton, the Opossum. Lima Bear and his clever friends become detectives searching for this missing back. Follow them as they try new and different ways of thinking to solve the mystery. See how they band together to protect each other in times of danger! Will they ever find Plumpton's back? The message of the story is: The tolerance of difference in others yields benefits. In the series entitled The Lima Bear Stories, each has a distinct personality that shines through in every story. While the children have no idea what twists and turns the story may take, they come to know the characters and have a pretty good idea of how they are likely to act in different situations and settings. In essence, the children become friends with the characters. There is a form of bonding that develops. Each story carries an important overriding message (such as courage, tolerance, honesty), and we believe that knowing the characters creates a better understanding and appreciation of the message.

About the Author

Thomas Weck is a creative and captivating national award-winning author of children's books. He has traveled extensively in the United States and in foreign countries including teaching children through the Peace Corps. With four children of his own and a passion for observing children's behavior, he has distilled these observations into stories that excite the imagination of young minds amidst peals of laughter and learning. Peter Weck grew up enjoying the wonderful stories his father told about Lima Bear and his friends. Now that he is the father of three young girls, he has teamed up with his father to capture these and other stories in print. Peter's goal is to help children foster a love for creating, reading, andlistening to stories. He currently serves on the board of the Menlo Park Library Foundation and is CEO of StoryJumper, a web-based company that enables anyone to create and illustrate children's stories.

My Take on the Book

This is a book about four friends. It is  a book that displays teamwork between the friends, loyalty, honesty, courage and respect for individual differences that each friend possessed. The friends solve problems together and take each emergency seriously. The four friends used their individual strengths to help in each challenge they encounter in the story.

The main characters are Lima the little bear, Whistle Toe the rabbit, Plumpton the opossum, and Maskamal the raccoon.

Plumpton the raccoon is distressed. His back disappeared and the friends decide to help him. They climb trees  and pretend they are opossums to see if that helps Plumpton find his back,  but it does not.

In Rabbit's search to help Plumpton, he is captured by some children and caged. The three other friends attempt to rescue Whistle Toe but unfortunately in the process, Maskamal is captured too. Now there are two emergencies that need to be taken care of.

Plumpton saves the day because he can play "dead" being an opposum . By crawling along the meadow , playing dead, and actually disappearing in the tall grass along the way, Plumpton is able to rescue his two friends.

Our three friends run back to Plumpton's house where Lima the bear is waiting for them

The friends decide that because Plumpton has the amazing talent to  "play dead" and  can disappear when he lies down,  that Plumpton was their hero .

They give him the name Back-Back because he was two times the hero.

The friends realize that it was because of the special talents each of them possessed, they were able to solve their problems together.

You and your child will enjoy the facial expressions of our animal friends. I am sure you will relate to their happiness, fear, surprise, etc.

The authors have done and excellent job extending the story by giving the person reading it, discussion questions to use prior to reading, during the reading and after completing the story.

The book can lead to honest discussions about friendship, loyalty and accepting individual differences with respect.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com