Product Description

Roxanne was a lovely child...
But clumsy as an ox --
and every time she played, she got
a dozen nicks and knocks.
"OUCH!" is what they heard her say
a hundred times a day.
"OUCH!"
and "OW!"
and "OOPS!" out loud
no matter what they'd play.

And so Roxanne wishes out loud that she were made of stone so she wouldn't always get hurt. From deep within the forest comes "Ka-PLICKety, zickety zock," and sure enough Roxanne turns into rock. At first she relishes her new-found freedom to jump and skip and run. But as her bicycle tires go flat beneath her solid, heavy frame, and her stony eyes spill only pebble tears, Rocksy regrets her careless wish.

Rolled back to the Magic Woods where she made that first fateful wish, Rocksy calls on the Wise Old Woman to change her back. With her special charms the Wise Old Woman reverses the trick, then comes up with a brilliant new plan. With a flick of the wrist she changes herself into the Playground Coach.

Balance is lesson number one. Then fancy footwork, nifty flips, leaping and hopping and instant stopping. The Playground Coach shows the kids all kinds of ways to run and jump and play and fall without ever hurting at all.

Loris Lesynski creates another highly original comic tale enlivened by her trademark colorful illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3275841 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-Clumsy Roxanne wishes she could be tough as stone, so that she won't keep hurting herself when she falls, trips, or stumbles. The wish literally comes true and does minimize her injuries but seriously impairs her sense of taste, touch, and sight. She can still see and hear, but talking is hard with a stone tongue, and her friends don't fancy a petrified playmate. Rocksy breaks her bike, smashes her swing, and cries pebble tears before returning to the Magic Wood to get her wish adjusted. The kind spirit agrees to restore the child to her former self and coaches her in balance and "fancy footwork." Message overwhelms story and cartoon art in this rhyming text that raises more questions than it answers. Fans of Lesynski's other work might enjoy this slick cautionary tale. Others may feel that King Midas did it better.
Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Loris Lesynski is an author, illustrator, poet, and graphic designer. Rocksy is her fifth rhyming picture book, following the success of Boy Soup (1996), Ogre Fun (1997), Catmagic (1998), and Night School (2001). She has also written and illustrated two collections of rollicking, rhyming poetry, Dirty Dog Boogie (1999, re-issued in full color 2002) and Nothing Beats a Pizza (2001). Loris is a popular and frequent speaker on the reading conference circuit, and makes many appearances at schools and libraries across North America. She lives in Toronto.