A new, full-length story in the wildly imaginative vein of Non-Stop Nonsense (p. 296/ C-46). Here, a number of craftily named characters—including a magician-schoolmaster (Heathcliff Warlock); a gifted scientist-inventor (Belladonna Doppler); a wicked industrialist whose products all malfunction (Sir Quincy Judd-Sprockett); and a pair of thugs (Voltaire and Amadeus)—are involved in a lively plot that involves: finding the long-lost headmistress, Mrs. Thoroughgood; making her six-pupil school appear presentable to the dreaded school inspectors (e.g., seeming to emphasize math and science); getting Heathcliff and Belladonna married; and, of course, foiling Sir Quincey. All of this is accomplished with the help of, or in spite of, two talking cats, a periodic hurricane that whirls around the "Unexpected School," two cases o f hidden identity, and a Midsummer Night's Dream-like forest, conjured up by Heathcliff, in which the action comes to a satisfyingly comic climax. Always wise as well as clever and funny, Mahy uses an underlay of serious ideas—for instance, the marriage of science to art rather than to unscrupulous commerce—to give her story depth and a satirical edge, yet without slowing the rollicking pace or hampering the whimsical humor. A splendid romp, with suitably cartoon-like drawings.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1989
ISBN: 1903015235
Page Count: 128
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1989
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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