CABBAGES AND KINGS

by Elizabeth Seabrook ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1997

Seabrook's first book involves a pair of anthropormorphized garden vegetables--Albert the asparagus and Herman the cabbage--who overcome their obvious differences and forge an alliance against the dangers of their surroundings. At any time, they could be nibbled by the rabbit, picked by the farmer's wife and daughter or run over by the household dog. The fate of each food item is tenuous--in a less than dramatic telling, one goes to flower, the other to the fair. The story ambles along in conversations between the two veggie friends, lacking any sense of anticipation, and astute readers might be alarmed by the anticlimactic, blue-ribbon-prize-winning ending for Herman: It surely puts an end of his friendship with Albert, and it probably means he'll be eaten. Wyeth, facing the difficult challenge of enlivening sedentary vegetables, successfully employs wind, a dog, and subtle facial characterisitics to vivify his pastoral paintings.

Pub Date: June 1, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1997

Categories: CHILDREN'S