English madcap Arabel Jones and her cantankerous pet raven Mortimer (of Arabel's Raven and Arabel and Mortimer) in three further episodes: one energetically manic, one cliched and blah, one that has its ups and downs. The clear winner is "The Mystery of Mr. Jones's Disappearing Taxi"—wherein the taxi is stolen by sniffy under-librarian Mr. Grigg for nightly book-heists; fluttery Mrs. Jones misinterprets a kidnappers' ransom demand; Arabel and Mortimer find themselves marooned with the book-thief and the kidnappers and the rock-star kidnapee in an unoccupied housing tower. . . and all present make their escape (from building and flood) via hang glider. The yawner is the title story: Arabella's deaf, overpowering aunt comes to nurse Mrs. F., overturns the household, inadvertently packs Mortimer off (in a box labeled Mortimer's Cross) to a research station (at a place called Mortimer's Cross) where, true to form, he wreaks havoc and redeems himself. The story that has its moments, and some unusual color and detail, is "Mortimer's Portrait on Glass." The Joneses, caravaning in Ireland, rescue a local glassmanufacturer/lepidopterist from a bog. At his factory, Mortimer's perpetual "NEVERMORE"—in excitement, at the sight of his portrait in glass—shatters everything on the premises (except Mortimer's portrait). . . which leads Arabella to think of shattering the offshore iceberg with a laser beam (releasing the frozen dinosaur, which disappears in the original bog). This outlandish pile-up doesn't quite effervesce, and Mortimer's irresistibility has to be taken on faith throughout. Yet the blend of English whimsy and English farce does give the series a certain raffish character and verve.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1984
ISBN: 0563363851
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1984
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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