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UNCLE RONALD

Name: UNCLE RONALD
Author: Brian Doyle
ISBN: 0-88899-266-1

by Brian Doyle ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1997

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Disconnected plot elements give this quirky tale from Doyle (Spud Sweetgrass, 1996, etc.) a superficial, slapdash air. Fleeing his abusive father, Mickey washes up at his uncle's farm outside a small Quebec town, where, due to some kindness, he loses his intense fear and penchant for bedwetting. Later his battered mother appears, too, with his father hard on her heels; she and Ronald drive him off, but in his rush to get away he falls beneath a passing train. Meanwhile, the town is engaged in a localized tax revolt, playing a variety of amusing pranks on a hapless squad of assessors. Doyle's anile brand of humor—Mickey's account of what happens when he tries to keep his bed dry by attaching a hose to himself will have some readers wincing, and after the tax collectors' wagon wheels are loosened, ``policemen's nuts'' becomes a running joke—trivializes the story's serious themes, although the serious ultimately weighs down the farcical. Framing the whole episode as a flashback narrated by Mickey at age 112 adds a faintly grotesque, pointless twist. Unlike Spud, this Doyle's a dud. (Fiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: March 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-88899-266-1

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Groundwood

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1997

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
PURE SPRING
by Brian Doyle

- BOOK REVIEW
SPUD SWEETGRASS
by Brian Doyle

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THE PARTY

by Barbara Reid & illustrated by Barbara Reid ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999

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A girl and her sister start off rather glumly in the back seat of the car, leaving all their friends behind, because they are off to a family party. When they arrive, they are kissed by Aunt Joan—the worst—and then there is more kissing and a bunch of cousins just hanging around. But the kids start sharing war stories (hair cuts, lost teeth, split lips) and playing shark on the lawn; there are hideouts under Uncle John’s chair and potato-chip thievery; and then there is all that food beloved of family gatherings, for it is Gran’s birthday. At the end, of course, no one wants to go home. In sprightly rhyme, Reid captures the range of experience, from initial wariness to high hilarity, present at parties full of relatives. Her illustrations, done in painted Plasticine on board, have a wonderful texture, making a Hawaiian shirt, three-bean salad, and Mary Jane shoes pop out of the page. A treat. (Picture book. 4-9)

Pub Date: April 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-590-97801-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
PICTURE THE SKY
by Barbara Reid ; illustrated by Barbara Reid

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Clement C. Moore ; illustrated by Barbara Reid

- BOOK REVIEW
PICTURE A TREE
by Barbara Reid ; illustrated by Barbara Reid

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WHAT! CRIED GRANNY

AN ALMOST BEDTIME STORY

by Kate Lum ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999

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With the help of shrewd, patient grandmother, Patrick scores a victory for all bedtime foot-draggers in this energetic debut of two children’s book newcomers. With the sun on the horizon, Patrick points out that he has no bed; springing into action, Granny chops down a tree, hauls out her toolbox and presents him with a fine new bed. Unfortunately, as a poker-faced Patrick complains in succession, he has no pillow, blanket, or teddy; by the time Granny—quietly, relentlessly toiling on despite her Herculean tasks—has finished gathering chicken feathers, weaving wool, and converting the curtains into a huge purple bear, morning sunlight is flooding in. Johnson gives his illustrations a 1960s retro look, with canted perspectives, long slanted borders, and a color scheme involving turquoise, orange-reds, and pastel greens; these colors, evenly applied in large background fields, cool off as sunset deepens into night, then warm to signal the approaching day, slyly preparing viewers for the concluding punchline. Children will snuggle down with smiles on their faces after this comic spin on the paraphernalia associated with a common ritual. (Picture book. 5-7)