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MOE Q. MCGLUTCH, HE SMOKED TOO MUCH

Name: MOE Q. MCGLUTCH, HE SMOKED TOO MUCH
Author: Ellen Raskin
ISBN: 081930686X

illustrated by Ellen Raskin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1973

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Instead of dressing up an anti-smoking message in comic clothing, Ellen Raskin outdoes the Victorian spoof, using Moe's dangerous habit as an occasion for pure farce — and for parading her stylishly flamboyant menagerie. There are the vibrantly striped and colorfully attired zebra family Zack, Zelda Mae and Little Zeke, there is their rich cousin Moe Q. McGlutch, a donkey whom they visit in his domed and minareted orange-red palace, there are elephant fire fighters (required by Moe's frequent smoking accidents), an elegant ram serving ice cream, a billowing fish monster and — in the same shades of green — a dragon, attracted by Moe's smoke rings, who eventually carries the donkey off. Thus Little Zeke, who has been telling his cousin all along that he smokes too much, is proven correct — and for his wisdom inherits all of Moe's wealth. It's fun to read the pictures for details the words don't tell, but it's sometimes hard to see the smoke signals for all of Raskin's brilliant visual patterns.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1973

ISBN: 081930686X

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Parents Magazine Press

Review Posted Online: May 8, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1973

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WESTING GAME
by Ellen Raskin

- BOOK REVIEW
TWENTY-TWO, TWENTY-THREE
by Ellen Raskin

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TATTOOED POTATO AND OTHER CLUES
illustrated by Ellen Raskin

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WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES, MR. BROWN?

by Justin Rhodes ; illustrated by Heather Dickinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023

Pedestrian.

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Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.

Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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MAPLE SYRUP FROM THE SUGARHOUSE

by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton ; illustrated by Kathryn Mitter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2017

Readers with maples get ready: kids are sure to want to try their hands at boiling their own syrup.

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A group of family and friends performs the chores in the sugar bush that lead to fresh maple syrup.

It’s not just collecting sap and boiling it: bottles must be sterilized, wood gathered and stacked, the sugar content of the boiling syrup monitored, and the finished syrup filtered and bottled. As young Kelsey follows her father around the wood, it’s clear this isn’t her first exposure to this northeastern spring ritual, though this is belied by didactic and expository dialogue, as when Daddy explains how the trees have stored sugar over the winter. Kelsey’s chores are kid-appropriate: hammering spiles, hanging buckets, stacking and carrying wood, and curiously peeking and asking about the syrup’s readiness as it boils. The boiling goes on all night and into the next morning, when the family enjoys a maple syrup–centered breakfast while waiting for the sap buckets to fill again. Mitter’s illustrations play up the camaraderie of working together. Skin tones range from Kelsey’s own white skin to light and dark browns in this multiracial gathering. While the tractor and single storage tank indicate that this is not a large-scale operation, the evaporator and dedicated sugar shack mean this isn’t just a hobby, either. The final page includes more facts about maple syrup.

Readers with maples get ready: kids are sure to want to try their hands at boiling their own syrup. (Picture book. 3-9)