Mr. and Mrs. Castle and three small Castles ("more like Cottages, really") live in a white house with a big lawn. Their lives change a bit when Mrs. Castle, an atomic scientist, finds a job helping to develop "an electronic medicine to cure sunspots." Amiable Mr. Castle becomes an efficient househusband. In his baggy sweater, he accomplishes a great deal. Between cups of tea—the Castles are distinctly British—he bakes bread and cake, plants cabbages and hangs the dishes on the clothesline to dry. But Mr. Castle's work really begins when ripe plums start dropping from a tree in the yard. Thrilled at the prospect of another project, Mr. Castle makes plum jam one day. . .and the following day, and the day after that. Finally every container in the house—vases, glasses, even the teapot—are filled with jam. Besides serving the delicacy at every meal, clever Mr. Castle fixes the leaking roof with it and uses it to restick the bathroom tiles. Not surprisingly, images of the omnipresent substance begin to creep into the dreams of every member of the jam-weary family. And—not surprisingly—all of the Castles have begun to grow quite round from their overindulgence. So Mr. Castle suggests a "game on the lawn" to get some exercise. As they play, he hears a soft thud on the roof. This can only mean one thing, and the last page confirms the reader's suspicions: on it is a picture of a very full plum tree, a pleased Mr. Castle and a worried baby Castle. "The plums were ripe again." Mahy and Craig make a smashing team. The colorful, detailed drawings convey the same humor and high spirits as the text. And for anyone whose appetite is whetted by the story, a recipe for plum jam appears on the endpapers.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1985
ISBN: 0749708859
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1985
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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