The Shoe On The Side of the Road

And Other Missing Things

Children - Grade K-3rd
32 Pages
Reviewed on 05/14/2019
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

The Shoe On The Side of the Road: And Other Missing Things is a concept storybook for children, grades k-3, written by Joanne Russo Insull and illustrated by Lara Russo. An afternoon’s bike ride can be a lot of fun; there are always plenty of sights to see and things to explore. But sometimes certain things catch our attention and our imagination -- like a single lost shoe lying by the side of the road. What happened to the other shoe? How did this one get there? What about the person who used to have two shoes and now only has one? Did a bully grab someone’s shoe and toss it far away? Everyone loses, at some point in their lives, one of a pair. It could a shoe, a sock or a mitten. The rest of the world may just see that odd shoe or sock or mitten as nothing to think about, but to someone that missing item may have value and memories attached to it.

Joanne Russo Insull’s whimsical and charming book shows kids how to see things in a different light, to use their imaginations to fill in the missing blanks, as indeed does the young boy on the bicycle. She further gets kids involved in the story by bringing up the infamous missing sock, a phenomenon that even the young are far too familiar with. Where do those socks go anyway? Lara Russo’s brilliant illustrations work so well with the story. Her use of lines and color invite the reader to fill in the blanks and enrich the scene just as Insull’s story does. This tale is an excellent selection for storytime and will serve as a grand conversation springboard for kids to share their own stories about lost things. The Shoe On The Side of the Road: And Other Missing Things is highly recommended.

Alyssa Elmore

Have you ever wondered how socks, shoes, and mittens seem to mysteriously go from pairs to singles? The Shoe on The Side of The Road: And Other Missing Things by Joanne Russo Insull explores the story behind socks, shoes, and mittens’ disappearances in delightful verse. How many times have you seen a single shoe abandoned on the side of the road and wondered how it got there? What led up to the moment of its resting sadly on the roadside without its owner? Where is its owner anyhow? A little boy ponders the shoe’s life, searching for answers of the absence of its mate, leading to more questions, such as where has the mate to my other sock gone? And can you help me find my missing mitten?

Discover the other side of the story in the adorably illustrated children’s book, The Shoe on The Side of The Road: And Other Missing Things by Joanne Russo Insull. Though we all have wondered about abandoned shoes and missing socks, how many of us know what really happens to their mates? This story takes us on a hunt that makes us wonder, are all things related? I enjoyed this little book and loved the watercolor painted illustrations. The art is beautifully done and the story is fun to speculate along with. The author brought the story to life with flowing verse and interesting questions, perfect for stimulating a young child's imagination while leading them on an interesting journey of missing pairs. Maybe, just maybe the reader will solve the mystery of the pairs through speculation. I would recommend this book for children ages 2-4.

Deborah Lloyd

This is a delightful young children’s book where a little boy muses about how items become lost. One day, during a bike ride (with training wheels), the boy notices a red sneaker on the side of the road. His first thought is perhaps a bully took the shoe and tossed it on the side of the road. Then he considered how other people – a jogger, chef, or ballerina – may have lost it and how it affects their lives. His daydreaming moved to consideration of items he has lost – a sock in the dryer, a mitten in the snow. The Shoe on the Side of the Road and Other Missing Things, written by Joanne Russo Insull and illustrated by Lara Russo, is an imaginative, thought-provoking children’s book.

This book illustrates how young (and perhaps not so young) minds can wander and contemplate how things go missing in our lives. Beginning with a lone shoe on the side of the road, the boy’s mind wanders from this sighting to items he has lost. Embedded in his daydreaming thoughts are modern-day experiences – bullying and recycling. This book presents wonderful opportunities for parents to discuss these topics with a young child. The illustrations are simply lovely and will easily enhance a child’s imagination. Author Joanne Russo Insull has written an engaging story for young children, and Lara Russo has added charming illustrations in The Shoe on the Side of the Road and Other Missing Things. This book will captivate the imagination of young children over and over again.

Peggy Scott

The Shoe on the Side of the Road and other Missing Things is a cute story of how there is always only one of a pair sometimes and we don't know how it got lost. Like how could there only be one shoe on the side of the road? Why does the washer always "eat" one sock? How can you lose one mitten when playing outdoors? Oh if someone could only answer these questions! Cute little read.