THE ICE CREAM HEROES

by Judy Corbalis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1989

A gorillagram (a singing telegram delivered by a gorilla) brings Oskar the news that his mountaineering mother is stuck at the base of the Himalayas without her ice pick. Since Oskar's grandmother is headed for a swimming marathon, she elects Oskar to take the ice pick to his mother. The gorilla, who is actually an orphan named Henrietta dressed in a gorilla suit, accompanies him; on the way, they encounter--and become rulers of--a tribe of abominable snowmen; are incarcerated in a prison made of ice cream; and foil a diabolical plan to take over the world. All the elements for good, old-fashioned comic melodrama are in place in this Baskin-Robbins nightmare, right down to the wicked governess who ruined the ice-cream manufacturer's childhood. Parkins' b&w drawings and leering, comical characters are appropriately in the same farcical vein. Unfortunately, though, the first rule of nonsense--that it never seems strained--is broken soon and often. The awkward, creaking explanations for everything from Henrietta's outfit to the nature of telegrams are just too labored to be funny. In the end, the Roald Dahl-like humor misfires and melts this ice-cream theft adventure.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 153

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1989

Categories: CHILDREN'S