THE MYSTERIES OF ZIGOMAR

by Allan Ahlberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1997

A haphazard collection of poems, musings, noodlings, and heavily revised fairy tales from Ahlberg (The Better Brown Stories, 1996, etc.). The poems, in general, are better than the stories: ""Getting Up for School"" and ""The Vampire and the Hound"" have built-in kid appeal, while others--""Father and Child,"" about a dad observing his son mailing a letter on a snowy night--are good but with an adult perspective. The best of the stories is ""The Paper Boy,"" about a lonely boy made of paper; by accepting his paper self he manages to get color into his life (via preschoolers armed with crayons) and to make a new friend. Other selections are less successful: A rewritten version of Snow White and a tale aptly titled ""Cock and Bull Story"" meander into unfunny asides. It's not a bad book, but it's not on par with collections by Prelutsky, Silverstein, and Dahl, and not even up to Ahlberg's own high standards.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1997

Categories: CHILDREN'S