THE KWEEKS OF KOOKATUMDEE

by Bill Peet ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 1985

While the competition strains for zaniness, Peet manages (in his less topical entries, at least) to pull off one after another genuine nonsense fable. The kweeks of the jungle island of Kookatumdee are big-beaked, small-winged birds forced, by their pecular anatomy, into utter dependence on the ploppolop fruits that fall from the island's single tree. The problem of dividing the limited, erratic food supply is aggravated when one kweek, troublemaker Jed, seizes more than his share. Jed grows fat, while the others shrivel; a spunky little kweek named Quentin leads an attack; and, pursued by the irate led, he finds himself ""at the edge of a bluff, with nowhere to go"". . . and flies!! ""Now come on everyone! Flap your wings and just try it!/We're all light as a feather from our starvation diet."" Leaving heavy Jed behind, they find another island, with plenty of ploppolops for all--but no inducement to overeat: they ""enjoyed flying too much for that."" Maybe that last line is a gentle nudge, maybe not: the whole moves along on sympathetic projection, life-and-death challenges, and high hilarity.

Pub Date: March 25, 1985

ISBN: 0812469445

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1985

Categories: CHILDREN'S