MRS. PURDY'S CHILDREN

by Ruth Loomis ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1970

Life With Mother has its uproars and downs for the seventeen Purdy 'people' ('little,' 'middle.' and 'big'), but the real lulu comes with the hatching or sprouting of still another from the roanoke plant in the garden. Explicitly (""swollen to alarming proportions""). Not incidentally, albeit accidentally, roanoke is that true panacea--a food for all seasons or reasons which fried tastes like chicken. broiled tastes like steak, and in batter is better than any other kind of cake. The new baby is named at the weekly General Meeting, sole instrument of 'order' chez-Purdy; named Ceres, that is when political maneuvering eventuates in the veto of tile rest of the suggestions--Teheran from Connie (short for Constantinople), Jimmie from a chauvinistic boy (but it's a girl baby), November from someone born then (we already have April, May, and June. . . not to mention Lancelot, Galahad, Sweden, and Heathcliff). Mrs. Purdy is chosen town Mother of the Year--not for fortitude, certainly, since she's rarely there in body and never in mind--but an investigation proclaims her a fraud, lacking a more specific word, and that's that. . . till the clan devises a Demonstration (complete with Police Brutality). Then that's that except that Mr. Purdy, vaguely somewhere in Alaska since forever, appears to restrain and give a little class to his menagerie. Which is just what it is, not even very funnily, what with Sue's collection of rats and a full complement of brats--whose tribe, to paraphrase the poet, will no doubt increase.

Pub Date: May 1, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dial

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1970

Categories: FICTION