Clever fantasy, amusing, with engaging & vibrant illustrations. My teen son, taking Spanish I this year, called it 'cute' and commented 'that poor man.' ( )

"In Spanish, puerta means door and puerco means pig, but to the old man there's no difference because they sound so much alike." When the old man's wife told him not to forget the puerco and to be on time for the barbeque, the old man thought he heard "puerta" not puerco. He found the request a bit odd because it isn't everyday that someone brings a door to a barbeque, but he decided not to argue with her. When the old man made his way to the barbeque he was sidetracked by many obstacles. There was a crying baby, swarm of bees, a goose, a drowning boy, and a young man who needed help loading furniture along the way.
After he finally arrived late at the party, with a door instead of the pig his wife requested, he realized his mistake. Luckily for him and the guests, his mistake ended up getting him some honey, a goose egg, fish, and two watermelons along the way, which made a fine meal for the guests.
Although his mistake turned out to be beneficial, the old man learned that he needed to be more attentive to his wife. His wife also learned that some mistakes turn out for the best.
This story teaches young readers that it is okay to make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes can even turn out to have a pleasant ending. ( )

The husband in this story doesn't listen to his wife. Wife orders him to meet her somewhere and he finds many distractions along the way. Use for multiculturalism, Spanish words are included in this book.

In this story, an old man goes on adventure with his door. His wife actually wanted him to bring the pig to the party, but he got confused and thought she meant door. During his journey he helps a few people out along the way. A crying girl, a drowning boy, and a man loading a truck. Because of his good deeds, each person gave him a little gift. He eventually made it to the party and realized his wife wanted the pig. Even though he brought the door, he put it to good use as a table. This book is very educational because some words are in English and some in Spanish. It will teach students a different language, and how to help each other out. ( )

There is one main reason as to why I like this book. "The Old Man and His Door" is a funny book about a senile old man with a heart of gold. The book also has a good message, which is "everything you do, regardless of how useless other people think it is, has value". The author demonstrated this message by showing the main character using the door to carry food, help a man load a piano into a truck, and rescue a drowning boy from a lake. Lastly, everyone can relate to the main character due to his well-meaning attitude and generosity. ( )